Historical Anecdote Of Jordan's Red Soils May Offer New Antibiotic

The increasing incidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, especially the methicillin-resistant S. aureus in communities and hospitals, has placed great emphasis on the need for new antimicrobial agents to treat infectious diseases. In an attempt to uncover such resources researchers are exploring some historically recognized natural remedies which are still being used in some communities as an alternative to expensive pharmaceutical drugs.

In the study researchers collected samples of red soils from various geographic locations throughout the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and inoculated them with Micrococcus luteus and S. aureus. Results showed the bacteria were rapidly killed. Additionally, over a three-week incubation period, researchers found that the number of antibiotic-producing bacteria (specifically actinomycetes, Lysobacter spp. and Bacillus spp.) increased and high antimicrobial activity was observed. Further, no myxobacteria or lytic bacteriophages with activity against M. luteus or S. aureus were detected in the soils before or after inoculation and incubation.

"These data provide a rationale for the traditional use of Jordan's red soils for the treatment of skin infections, including diaper rash," say the researchers. "We hypothesize that the application of red soils to an infected area of skin (i.e. inoculation) leads to the proliferation of bacteria that produce antibiotic compounds, killing the infecting skin microbiota."