Streptomyces Griseus

Streptomyces griseus is a species of bacteria in the genus Streptomyces commonly found in soil. A few strains have been also reported from deep-sea sediments. It is a Gram positive bacterium with high GC content. Along with most other streptomycetes, S. griseus strains are well known producers of antibiotics and other such commercially significant secondary metabolites. These strains are known to be producers of 32 different structural types of bioactive compounds. The first antibiotic ever reported from a bacterium comes from strains of S. griseus. Recently, the whole genome sequence of one of its strains had been completed. The taxonomic history of S. griseus and its phylogenetically related strains have been turbulent. S. griseus was first described by Waksman and Henrici in 1948. The interest towards these strains was sought because of their ability to produce streptomycin, a compound which demonstrated significant bactericidal activity against organisms such as Yersinia pestis (the causative agent of plague) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (the causative agent of tuberculosis). For his work on these strains of bacteria and the antibiotic they produce, Waksman would later be awarded a Nobel Prize.