ISOLATION AND SCREENING OF PIGMENT PRODUCING BACTERIA FROM SOIL AND STUDY OF ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF PIGMENTSJayashri P. Nanaware, Shah K.S. and Pathade G.RAbstract Pigments are colored compounds that play important roles in various biological systems, such as photosynthesis, vision, and signalling. Pigment-producing bacteria are a diverse group of microorganisms that can produce a wide range of pigments with different colors and properties. The present study is aimed to isolate the pigment-producing bacteria from the soil with the antibacterial activity of pigments. Soil samples were collected from nearby Karad city. All eight different pigmented colonies were isolated that produced the pigments like Yellow, Red, Golden Yellow, and Orange and they were designated as YP-I, YP-II, YP-II, GYP-I, GYP-II, RP-I, RP-II, and OP. The isolated organisms were characterized with the help of Bergeyâs Manual of Determinative Bacteriology. The pigments were extracted with a solvent like chloroform and the antibacterial activity of the extract was tested against E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. The extracted pigments had an inhibitory effect on both Gram-positive and Gramnegative bacteria. The pigments of isolates designated as YP-III, GYP-I, GY-II, and RP-II showed the highest antibacterial activity against E. coli. |