Antimycobacterial activity of a Brevibacillus laterosporusstrain isolated from a moroccan soil

The treatment of tuberculosis has become more difficult with the worldwide spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Moreover, the prevalence of human disease caused by atypical mycobacteria has also increased in the past two decades and has further complicated the problem of the treatment of mycobacterial infections. It is therefore urgent to develop new highly active molecules against these bacteria. The present study reports the isolation from a Moroccan soil of a Bacillus strain that exhibits an important antimycobacterial activity. The strain was identified as Brevibacillus laterosporus using DNA sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. The antimycobacterial activity was assigned to a substance with a protein nature. This nature was revealed using a liquid-liquid extraction with organic solvents, precipitation with ammonium sulfate and treatment with a protease. This study suggested the identification and the characterization of this active metabolite enabling therapeutic investigations further.