Cultivable Sponge-Associated Actinobacteria from Coastal Area of Eastern Mediterranean Sea

In this study, 16 marine sponge samples collected from Eastern Mediterranean Sea were used for the isolation of sponge-associated Actinobacteria. Different media and pre-treatment methods were applied for the isolation experiments. In total, 7578 actinomycetes colonies were observed on the primary isolation plates, and 20 representative isolates were selected for further studies based on their morphologies and chemical profiles. These isolates were investigated for their antimicrobial activities, seawater requirements and 16S rRNA gene sequences. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that 80% of the isolated Actinobacteria was a member of the Streptomyces genus. All the isolates showed no absolute requirement for seawater. Fifteen of the selected isolates exhibited antimicrobial activity against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin resistant Enterococcus faecium, whereas 3 isolates were active against Candida albicans.