Preface

Actinobacteria represent one of the most diverse phyla in the bacterial domain, which is widely distributed in terrestrial and aquatic environments. This interesting group of bacteria is well known for their unique characteristics and biotechnological applications, especially their ability to produce a vast range of bioactive molecules, including antibiotics and other industrially important secondary metabolites, making them an important area of study. This book aims to provide in-depth insights into the diversity of actinobacteria, their different medical aspects, and their biotechnological applications.

This book is for students starting their research work on actinobacteria, for researchers working with actinobacteria who need to know recent advances in the field, and for teachers teaching topics related to actinobacteria.

The book is divided into four sections and contains 13 chapters. The first section looks at the diversity of actinobacteria, with three chapters on the selective isolation of actinobacteria from different Mexican ecosystems, the diversity of actinobacteria associated with marine invertebrates, and endophytic actinobacteria. This section covers the different methods and techniques applied for selective isolation, molecular identification, diversity evaluation, and potential applications of actinobacteria. It is particularly important for students and researchers to be aware of the different techniques they are going to be using. The three chapters also discuss the diversity of actinobacteria in special ecosystems of interest as a potential source for the discovery of novel taxa and novel bioactive compounds.

The second section concerns bioactive metabolites from actinobacteria, with four chapters on antimicrobials from extreme actinobacteria, gene multiplicity in antibiotic-producing Streptomyces, metabolites from actinobacteria for mosquito control, and anti-quorum-sensing compounds from rare actinobacteria. As the chapter titles indicate, this section covers several aspects of the application of actinobacteria in the production of diverse metabolites. The four chapters provide a detailed account of the isolation, characterization, structure elucidation, and biological activities of the metabolites produced by actinobacteria.

The chapters in the third section, which is entitled "Applications of Actinobacteria", examine applications of actinobacteria in agriculture, biosurfactants from mycolic acid-containing actinobacteria, and biodegradation of bisphenol A. The three chapters review recent findings and discuss future prospects for these important applications.

Finally, the fourth section concerns actinobacteria and diseases, an especially important topic that is rarely covered, especially by physicians. Two of the chapters in this section are about actinomycosis and the third discusses the immune response during induced farmer's lung disease. Diagnostic methods, clinical features, and the immune response for two diseases of concern caused by some pathogenic genera of actinobacteria, actinomycosis and hypersensitivity pneumonitis are discussed.

This book is a compilation of scientific articles that should be of great interest to those interested in actinobacteria research. Students and researchers with an interest in general microbiology will also find the book an interesting read. The book offers a unique resource for all graduate students and researchers in the fields of diversity, applications, and the medical aspects of actinobacteria.

Finally, I would like to thank all the authors who have shared their excellent research work results, knowledge, and ideas. I would like also to warmly thank the author service manager Ms. Romina Rovan for her support, commitment, and attention to detail which made this book possible. My gratitude is also extended to members of the staff of IntechOpen, especially Ms. Lucija Tomicic-Dromgool, for their support.

> **Wael N. Hozzein** Professor, Faculty of Science, Botany and Microbiology Department, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt

Section 1
