Brief description of Streptomyces avermitilis bacterium species

Classification

Kingdom: Bacteria

Phylum: Actinobacteria

Class: Actinobacteria

Order: Actinomycetales

Family: Streptomycetaceae

Genus: Streptomyces

Species: Streptomyces avermitilis


       
                   

 Streptomyces avermitilis on 2003 Nature cover      Avermectin structure

About Streptomyces avermitilis

Where&When: The bacterium was first isolated in 1979 from the terrestrial soil sample im Japan. [1]

Description of spores: Brownish-gray, spherical with a smooth spore surface and come in chains of 15+.The sporophores form spiral side branches on aerial mycelia. [1]

Use: Streptomyces avermitilis is a producer of avermectins (certain secondary metabolites [2] ), which are used to protect people from river blindness (onchocerciasis, caused by infection with the parasitic worm Omchocerca volvulus [3] ) in sub-Saharan Africa.

Genome size (Mb): 9.03

Number of genes: 7681

Assembly year: 2003

References

[1]. Burg, R., Miller, B., Baker, E., Birnbaum, J. et. al. "Avermectins, New Family of Potent Anthelmintic Agents: Producing Organism and Fermentation." Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. March 1979. Vol 15, No 3, p. 361-367.

[2]. Demain, A. "Pharmaceutically active secondary metabolites of microorganisms." Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 1999. Vol 52, p. 455-463.

[3]. Onthocerciasis on Wikipedia.

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