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Antibiotics are medicines that are used to fight bacterial infections, and are used for the treatment and prevention of infections caused by bacteria. They can be derived from various sources such as bacteria, fungi and plant extracts. Two of such bacteria are Actinobacteria and Myxobacteria. They are primarily found in the soil. Actinobacteria are a group of gram-positive bacteria, which play critical roles in humus production and decomposition. Myxobacteria are gram-negative bacteria, which live primarily in soil and feed on insoluble organic matter. These bacteria generate a variety of biomedically and industrially useful chemicals including antibiotics, which they export outside the cell. They also generate gephyronic acid, which is an inhibitor of eukaryotic protein synthesis and a potential cancer chemotherapeutic drug. Myxobacteria are also useful models for studying multicellularity in bacterial environment. This book contains some path-breaking studies related to the role of actinobacteria and myxobacteria in the production of antibiotics. Those in search of information to further their knowledge will be greatly assisted by it.
