Screening of antibacterial activity of seagrass-associated bacteria from the North Java Sea, Indonesia against multidrug-resistant bacteria

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli have been reported as a global health issue for several decades. The resistance to common antibiotics has led to the exploration of new potential candidate therapeutic agents to treat the infection. This study was designed to explore the ability of seagrasses-associated bacteria as the sources of antibiotic candidates. Four seagrasses (Enhalus acoroides, Thalassia hemprichii, Cymodocea sp. and Syringodium sp.) were collected from the North Java Sea, Indonesia, and carried 70 associated bacteria. Out of all the isolates, only two bacteria exhibited antibacterial activity against MRSA and MDR E. coli, namely EED 15 and EED 16. Isolate EED 15 has been classified as Bacillus flexus (ACC. number LC123590, 97.72% similarity) and EED 16 as Streptomyces lienomycini (ACC. number LC123591, 99.8% similarity).