Isolation and Screening of Antibiotic producing Bacteria from Soil in Lahore City

The need for new antibiotics is increasing with the increase in antibiotic resistance. The present research work has been focused on the isolation of antibiotic producing bacteria from the soil samples collected from Jinnah garden, Lahore. The isolates were identified based on their morphology and further confirmed through biochemical tests. Antibiotic producing ability was confirmed by inhibition zones around bacterial colonies. A total of 56 isolates belonging to four different strains of antibiotic producing bacteria were found in different soil samples. Out of these, 30 were Bacillus subtilis, 9 were Bacillus licheniformis, 12 were Streptomyces and 5 were Actinomycetes. A significant number of antibiotic producing bacteria were found in this study. These results suggest that soil isolates, having antibiotic producing capability can be used commercially after proper standardization.