SUMMARY
To date, we have isolated more than 700 colonies of bacteria, yeast, and fungi from soils and seawater. Based on observation, the microorganisms shown diverse morphological characteristics. Why are we interested in isolating new microorganism?
As reported by CDC, every year, about 2 million people get sick from a superbug (bacteria that cannot be killed using multiple antibiotics). Antibiotics are the foundation on which all modern medicine rests. Cancer chemotherapy, organ transplants, surgeries, and childbirth all rely on antibiotics to prevent infections. If we can't treat those, then we lose the medical advances we have made in the last 50 years.
The isolated colonies were tested for antimicrobial activity. Preliminary antimicrobial screening used E. coli, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as test microorganism. Potential antimicrobial was observed based on clear zone around paper disc. A total of 145 isolates shown a clear zone from 500 isolated that have been tested. The results gave us a promising indicator to search for novel natural products for pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals purposes.
We also found bacterial that produced red pigment and the whole agar plate change to red. We hypothesize that this particular bacteria produced prodigiosin as a secondary metabolites. There are many reports regarding prodiginines and their biological activity. Researchers isolated Pseudoalteromonas denitrificans from fjord system off the west coast of Norway and reported this bacterium produced cycloprodigiosin. This compound has immunosuppressive, anti-malarial and apoptosis-inducing activities (Yamamoto et. al. 1999). It is worth to further investigate the nature of the bacterium isolated from soil of Jemuruk Island. This is only preliminary results, and we expect more discoveries in the future.
The objective of this research (Phase 1) was to identify Bacteria, Yeast and fungi through Metagenomics from Soil, Sea & Rock samples. Primarily to identify potential microbes for the future production of Probiotics & Natural Fruit Enzymes.
Subsequently (Phase 2) was to establish a Microbiology Lab & a Microbe cultivation processing plant. In order for further R&D and will be able to produce our own native Probiotics & Natural Fruit Enzymes.
This Isolated Microbes can only be released from its incubator once (Phase 2) of the project is implemented by Bambusa Foundation , setting up of the Microbiology cultivation facility as this Microbes is incubated in a special facility at the Genome Institute and only can be transferred to another similar facility which was agreed upon.