Pigments with antibiotic activity from Myxococcus coralloides.

A strain of Myxococcus coralloides produces pigments with antibiotic activity. The pigments are non-diffusible and become detectable at the beginning of the autolytic phase. Red pigments produced by vegetatively growing cells were extracted by acetone treatment. The crude extract when chromatographed yielded several fractions, two of which were active against certain Gram-positive bacteria. Both fractions were partial purified in thin layer chromatography and can be differentiated according to colour, polarity and absorption spectrum. Production of active pigments is increased by nicotine and inhibited by diphenylamine. The pigments are also compared with the antibiotic produced by this bacterium.