Biologically active compounds isolated from microorganisms continue to
be vital to the development of new drugs and agricultural chemicals.
This book was prepared by current and past members of the laboratory of
Dr. Satoshi Omura of the Kitasato Institute in Japan. Dr. Omura and his
colleagues have discovered and studied a number of important
antibiotics, and in their work they have pioneered new methods for
screening microbes for interesting and important compounds. This book
presents strategies and methods for identifying novel molecules with
several types of biological activity. In addition, the book discusses
the identification of microbial compounds of agrochemical importance,
presents information on chemical screening methods, and concludes with
chapters on microbial strain selection, fermentation technology, and
genetic engineering of antibiotic-producing microorganisms. This book
will be of great interest to scientists working in the very active and
competitive fields of antibiotic and agrochemical discovery.