Salt Brine Microbes: A Potential Source of New Antibiotics

Antibiotic resistance is a growing crisis in which bacteria evolve to evade antibiotics, rendering them ineffective. It can result in prolonged illnesses, increased healthcare costs, and health complications from previously treatable infections. Antibiotic resistance due to overuse and misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals will likely worsen unless we explore innovative solutions. A promising source for novel antibiotics are extremophiles, microbes adapted to survive in harsh environments^[1]. Further to their adaptations to survive and thrive under extreme conditions, these microbes are proposed to produce unique secondary metabolites with potent antimicrobial properties. As a result, this work aims to develop a toolkit to identify novel antibiotics from extreme environments to use in the fight against antibiotic resistance. The project’s main objective is to create a methodology to identify and screen for new metabolites with antimicrobial properties from these environments. Metagenomics has confirmed the presence of diverse halophilic bacteria. Isolated halophiles demonstrate initial inhibitory activity against ESKAPE pathogens. Genome mining with tools like AntiSMASH enabled the identification of potential gene clusters responsible for the production of secondary metabolites. By harnessing the power of these extremophiles, we can combat the growing threat of resistance and ensure a future with effective antibiotics. <br></br><br></br> ^{[1] Ziko L, Adel M, Malash MN, Siam R. Insights into Red Sea Brine Pool Specialized Metabolism Gene Clusters Encoding Potential Metabolites for Biotechnological Applications and Extremophile Survival. Mar Drugs. 2019 May 8;17(5):273. doi: 10.3390/md17050273. PMID: 31071993; PMCID: PMC6562949}