Abstract
Actinomycetes are one of the main microbial groups that produce bioactive compounds used as antibiotics. Although bacteria, mold and yeast have frequently been found in bees, the presence of actinomycetes in bee hives had not been previously identified or reported. The aim of our research was to focus on the diversity of actinomycetes in bee hives in Thailand. Bees, brood cells and hive materials were collected from apiaries and natural sources. Thirty-two isolates of actinomycetes were isolated and identified using morphological, physiological, chemical and molecular characterization. Most of the isolates belonged to the genus Streptomyces. Some less frequent isolates were classified in the genera Nonomuraea, Nocardiopsis and Actinomadura.
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Acknowledgments
This work was granted by the Commission on Higher Education granting Miss Yaowanoot Promnuan was supported for CHE-PHD-THA from the commission on Higher Education and Thailand Research Fund (RMU4980010). We would like to thank Drs. W. Pathom-aree and S. Namwong for their advices, and Dr. A. Sawadtham for her kind help in identification of stingless bees.
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Promnuan, Y., Kudo, T. & Chantawannakul, P. Actinomycetes isolated from beehives in Thailand. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 25, 1685–1689 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-009-0051-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-009-0051-1