Production of High-Value Antibiotics by <i>Teredinibacter turnerae</i> Using Paper- and Plant-Based Waste Products

Cellulosic materials are commonly used in the production of biofuels and other commodity chemicals. Here, we employ a cellulolytic bacterium to produce high-value antibiotics using paper and plant waste materials as primary feedstocks. <i>Teredinibacter turnerae</i> is an intracellular symbiont of shipworms, marine bivalves of the family Teredinidae, where it contributes cellulases and other carbohydrate-active enzymes that help animals digest wood. <i>T. turnerae</i> is also a prolific producer of antibiotic drug leads proposed to be integral to shipworm ecology. In the presence of waste cellulose as the sole carbon source, <i>T. turnerae</i> robustly produced potent antiparasitic and antibiotic agents. This suggests an inexpensive strategy to harness mixed waste materials for the synthesis of high-value compounds, such as pharmaceuticals.