[Department of Antibiotics: results of research activity during 80 years--since the foundation till now].

The paper on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the D.K. Zabolotny Institute of Microbiology and Virology at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine is dedicated to the research activity of one of its oldest subdivision--the Department ofAntibiotics. The basic trends of scientific researches and their most important results for the whole period of the Department extistance, and more in detail for the recent 5-7 years have been generalized. Results of fundamental ecological-taxonomic researches of bacteria from genera Pseudomonas, Bacillus, as well as salt water Alteromonas-like bacteria, investigation of regularity of production of antibiotics and other biologically active substances by bacteria and higher plants, creation and investigation of new antibiotics, probiotics and other biological drugs.

[Taxonomical study of bacteria from genera Alteromonas and Pseudoalteromonas isolated from Black Sea water and invertebrates].

Nineteen (19) strains of bacteria have been isolated from the Black Sea water and invertebrates (mollusks and actinia). Most of them have been identified as Alteromonas macleodii, Pseudoalteromonas citrea and P. haloplanktis on the basis of polyphasic taxonomical analysis. Six strains showed 96-97 % similarity to 16S rRNA sequence of the known species of Pseudoalteromonas and obviously belonged to new species. The studied strains have been characterized by a wide spectrum of phenotypic features (morphology, enzyme activity, spectra of carbon nutrition, antibiotic sensitivity); high sensitivity of P. haloplanktis strains to cephalotin and resistance of A. macleodii strains to furadonin made them different than other studied strains of Alteromonas and Pseudoalteromonas.

[Influence of cultivation conditions on the antibiotic activity in "Pseudomonas batumici"--batumin producer]. / Vplyv umov kul'tyvuvannia na antybiochnu aktyvnist' "Pseudomonas bamuci"--produtsenta batuminu.

The optimum parameters of cultivation of "Pseudomonas batumici"--a producer of antistaphylococcal antibiotic batumin has been established. The periodical process of culture development and antibiotic synthesis has been studied. Conditions of batumin biosynthesis are the temperature 23-25 degrees C, aeration 0.55-0.65 g O2/l.h and neutral pH of the medium. Probably batumin is not the secondary metabolite, because its synthesis begins in the culture exponential growth phase and continues in parallel with it.

[Efficacy of diagnostic plates with batumin in identification and indication of staphylococci]. / Efektyvnist' diahnostychnykh dyskiv z batuminom pry identyfikatsiï ta indykatsiï stafilokokiv.

In investigations designed to study sensitivity of 763 clinical strains of microorganisms that belonged to different taxonomic groups with respect to batumin, a new antibiotic recovered from bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas, all members of the genus Staphylococcus displayed high sensitivity to batumin irrespective of their sensitivity or resistance to other antibiotics. High selectivity of batumin in respect to representatives of the genus Staphylococcus has been used to create a novel diagnostic preparation diastaph--a batch of paper disks with batumin (5 mkg) spread on them. Results of the trial given to the preparation diastaph suggest to us a high specificity of this identification option for staphylococci of different species in mono- and mixed cultures, a possibility of our using them simultaneously with or instead of the Hew-Leuffson medium, and an expediency of employment of batumin disks for a prompt preindication of staphylococci in a clinical setting while studying a material notable for a high probability that there are bacterial associations involving staphylococci.

[Antibiotic properties of the Pseudoalteromonas genus bacteria isolated from the Black Sea water and molluscs]. / Antybiotychni vlastyvosti bakterii rodu Pseudoalteromonas, vydilenykh z vody ta moliuskiv Chornoho moria.

Antagonistic properties of 41 strains of Alteromonas-like bacteria isolated from the Black Sea water and molluscs have been studied. Being grown on the rich medium "B" for marine bacteria, 21% of strains have shown high antagonistic activity against phytopathogenic fungi; 6% of strains inhibited the growth of Bacillus subtilis, Proteus vulgaris and Candida albicans. Spectrum of antagonistic activity was essentially changed on synthetic "BM" medium with acetate, glutamate, alpha-alanine as a single source of carbon and was directed against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Culture liquids and acetone extracts of microbial biomass of 34% of the studied strains have shown activity against bacteria, fungi and cyanobacteria. Strains producing the wide spectrum of antimicrobial substances (Alteromonas macleodii, Pseudoalteromonas citrea, P. haloplanktis, P. aurantia, Pseudoalteromonas sp.), fungicidal and algocidal substances have been found. Both extra- and intracellular metabolities of marine bacteria (including the pigments) were active.

[Gram-negative eubacteria isolated from the water, molluscs and algae of the Black Sea]. / Mors'ki gramnegatyvni eubakteriï, izol'ovani z vody, moliuskiv ta vodorostei Chornogo moria.

Microorganisms strains (384) have been isolated from water, algae and molluscs collected in the Karadag reserve and the village of Katsiveli (Black Sea shore of the Crimea); 81 of the above strains are gram-negative oxidase-positive rods which require sodium ions for their growth. A group of nonfermenting mobile bacteria deprived of arginine dihydrolase have been distinguished among the latter; as to their physiological and biochemical properties and sensitivity to some antibiotics these bacteria were referred to Alteromonas, Marinomonas, Pseudoalteromonas genera.