Viability studies on actinomycetes

Eighty-nine Actinomycetes strains were tested for their viability, morphological and physiological characteristics after being kept under paraffin oil overlay and distilled water for a period between 10–30 years. Most of the studied strains belong to the “Lorenzo De Montemayor” collection. Almost all the recovered strains were 28–30 years old and had never been subcultured since the paraffin oil was overlaid. 71.4% of viable Streptomycetes strains had been kept on Sabouraud-dextrose agar and 28.6% were kept on Negroni and Bonfiglioli-medium. Streptomyces violaceusruber produced its characteristic pigment even after 28 years under these conditions. All of the recovered strains were tested for their biological activity, but only Streptomyces lavendulae showed growth-inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.