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© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Simple Summary

The majority of antibiotics available in the market are produced by bacteria isolated from soil. However, the low-hanging fruit has been picked; hence, there is a need to mine bacteria from unusual sources. With this in mind, it is important to note that animals and pests, such as cockroaches, snake, crocodiles, water monitor lizards, etc., come across pathogenic bacteria regularly, yet flourish in contaminated environments. These species must have developed methods to defend themselves against pathogens. Besides the immunity they may confer, bacteria associated with animals/pests may offer a potential source of novel antibacterial agents. This paper discusses the current knowledge of bacteria isolated from land and marine animals with antibacterial properties and proposes untapped sources for the isolation of bacteria to mine potentially novel antibiotic molecules.

Abstract

The development of novel bioactive molecules is urgently needed, especially with increasing fatalities occurring due to infections by bacteria and escalating numbers of multiple-drug-resistant bacteria. Several lines of evidence show that the gut microbiome of cockroaches, snakes, crocodiles, water monitor lizards, and other species may possess molecules that are bioactive. As these animals are routinely exposed to a variety of microorganisms in their natural environments, it is likely that they have developed methods to counter these microbes, which may be a contributing factor in their persistence on the planet for millions of years. In addition to the immune system, the gut microbiota of a host may thwart colonization of the gastro-intestine by pathogenic and/or foreign microorganisms through two mechanisms: (i) production of molecules with antibacterial potential targeting foreign microorganisms, or (ii) production of molecules that trigger host immunity targeting foreign microorganisms that penetrate the host. Herein, we discuss and deliberate on the current literature examining antibacterial activities that stem from the gut bacteria of animals such as crocodiles, cockroaches, and water monitor lizards, amongst other interesting species, which likely encounter a plethora of microorganisms in their natural environments. The overall aim is to unveil a potential library of novel bioactive molecules for the benefit of human health and for utilization against infectious diseases.

Details

Title
Novel Sources of Bioactive Molecules: Gut Microbiome of Species Routinely Exposed to Microorganisms
Author
Siddiqui, Ruqaiyyah 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Soopramanien, Morhanavallee 2 ; Alharbi, Ahmad M 3 ; Alfahemi, Hasan 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Naveed Ahmed Khan 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 College of Arts and Sciences, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah 26666, United Arab Emirates; [email protected] 
 Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates; [email protected] 
 Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia; [email protected] 
 Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Baha University, Al-Baha 65799, Saudi Arabia; [email protected] 
First page
380
Publication year
2022
Publication date
2022
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
23067381
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2706333830
Copyright
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.