Determination of cephalosporin acylase activity by biological and colorimetric method in bacteria

Abstract

The effective production of 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA) is a matter of concern in the pharmaceutical industry because it is a starting material for the synthesis of semi synthetic cephalosporin. Therefore screening for new source of cephalosporin acylase positive bacteria is very important. The cephalosporin acylase can be found in several Pseudomonas sp. and other bacteria. To facilitate the attempts of obtaining the microorganisms with higher cephalosporin acylase activity from natural environments, development of new and specific methods for screening environmental microorganisms with cephalosporin acylase activity is very important. In this study, a biological and colorimetric method was evaluated for determination of cephalosporin acylase product in bacteria. Samples were cultured in general and selective media, and the routine biochemical laboratory tests were used for diagnosis of Pseudomonas sp. All of the isolated strains were tested for cephalosporin acylase by a biological and colorimetric method. A total of 180 Pseudomonas sp. out of 350 samples were isolated. Two strains capable of producing cephalosporin acylase were identified from 180 candidates. The Pseudomonas bacteria isolated in this study is a source for cloning and cephalosporin acylase enzyme production.