Farming the Sea
69
but already disease—causing bacteria show signs of becoming
resistant to them. The reason for the wide—spread appearance of this
resistance is still a matter of debate but the free use of antibiotics in
both medicine and agriculture probably makes a large contribution.
Under such conditions certain strains of bacteria can become
resistant to many commonly—used antibiotics and, to make matters
worse, they may pass on this resistance to other strains and species—
a process known as infective drug resistance. Some warning voices
have already pointed out that unless something is done about this
alarming development the world may nd itself rapidly reverting to
the conditions existing in the pre—antibiotic days of medicine. On
_
the other hand chemists might keep one jump ahead of the microbes
by synthesizing new antibiotics. Nevertheless, greater controls are
being imposed on the use of antibiotics used in animal feeds. At the
same time the search for new antibiotics becomes more important—
and this is where the marine algae may once more be important.
Dr Paul Burkholder, an eminent American botanist who brought .
to light the antibiotic chloromycetin, has compiled some interesting
examples of antibiotic effects shown by marine algae. He writes:
‘The rst scientic demonstration of [marine] antibiotic substances
was published by Pratt and associates, who demonstrated inhibition
of Staphylococcus aureus [found commonly in boils and carbuncles—
and hospitals], Escherichia coli [common intestinal bacterium some
strains of which cause disease] and Pseudomonas pyocyaneus (another
pathogenic bacterium found in pus) by several species of seaweeds
collected on the California coast. These investigators obtained
particularly striking inhibition of various laboratory strains of
bacteria with extracts of the red alga Rhodomela larix
.
.
.
Anti—
bacterial properties of marine phytoplankton in Antarctica have been
studied in relation to the microbial ecology of penguins and other
animals feeding directly or indirectly upon plankton . . . Investiga—
tions of marine algae in Japanese waters and along the coast of
Mexico suggest that antibiotic substances in seaweeds are widely
distributed
.
.
.
A bloom of dinoagellates collected in Puerto Rico,
apparently Gonyaulax tamarensis, has been found to produce three
different biologically active substances. One of these is lethal for
mice, another inhibits growth of Staphylococcus aureus and a third
is inhibitory for Candida alhicaus [a pathogenic fungus] . . . Blooms
of the planktonic diatom Sheletonema costatum have been reported
to be inhibitory for certain marine bacteria and E. coli.’
69
but already disease—causing bacteria show signs of becoming
resistant to them. The reason for the wide—spread appearance of this
resistance is still a matter of debate but the free use of antibiotics in
both medicine and agriculture probably makes a large contribution.
Under such conditions certain strains of bacteria can become
resistant to many commonly—used antibiotics and, to make matters
worse, they may pass on this resistance to other strains and species—
a process known as infective drug resistance. Some warning voices
have already pointed out that unless something is done about this
alarming development the world may nd itself rapidly reverting to
the conditions existing in the pre—antibiotic days of medicine. On
_
the other hand chemists might keep one jump ahead of the microbes
by synthesizing new antibiotics. Nevertheless, greater controls are
being imposed on the use of antibiotics used in animal feeds. At the
same time the search for new antibiotics becomes more important—
and this is where the marine algae may once more be important.
Dr Paul Burkholder, an eminent American botanist who brought .
to light the antibiotic chloromycetin, has compiled some interesting
examples of antibiotic effects shown by marine algae. He writes:
‘The rst scientic demonstration of [marine] antibiotic substances
was published by Pratt and associates, who demonstrated inhibition
of Staphylococcus aureus [found commonly in boils and carbuncles—
and hospitals], Escherichia coli [common intestinal bacterium some
strains of which cause disease] and Pseudomonas pyocyaneus (another
pathogenic bacterium found in pus) by several species of seaweeds
collected on the California coast. These investigators obtained
particularly striking inhibition of various laboratory strains of
bacteria with extracts of the red alga Rhodomela larix
.
.
.
Anti—
bacterial properties of marine phytoplankton in Antarctica have been
studied in relation to the microbial ecology of penguins and other
animals feeding directly or indirectly upon plankton . . . Investiga—
tions of marine algae in Japanese waters and along the coast of
Mexico suggest that antibiotic substances in seaweeds are widely
distributed
.
.
.
A bloom of dinoagellates collected in Puerto Rico,
apparently Gonyaulax tamarensis, has been found to produce three
different biologically active substances. One of these is lethal for
mice, another inhibits growth of Staphylococcus aureus and a third
is inhibitory for Candida alhicaus [a pathogenic fungus] . . . Blooms
of the planktonic diatom Sheletonema costatum have been reported
to be inhibitory for certain marine bacteria and E. coli.’