A bacterium that thrives where few others can, producing compounds that kill disease.
From the volcanic slopes of Mayon in Albay, Filipino scientists have drawn a new name into the scientific record — Streptomyces mayonensis, a bacterium born of extreme earth and belonging to the family responsible for most of humanity's antibiotics. Identified by University of the Philippines researchers through years of careful genomic and biochemical work, this organism carries properties active against drug-resistant infections and certain cancer cells, arriving at a moment when the global pipeline for new antibiotics has slowed to a troubling trickle. The discovery does not promise a cure, but it opens a door — one that reminds us that the answers to some of medicine's hardest questions may still be waiting, unnamed, in the soil beneath our feet.
- The world is running out of new antibiotics — the WHO has warned that the development pipeline is stagnant, with fewer than 30 candidates in clinical trials and resistance claiming the lives of newborns and patients across the globe.
- A 2021 expedition into Mayon Volcano's barely-studied volcanic soil yielded 30 bacterial isolates, one of which — strain A1-08T — showed activity against seven dangerous pathogens including MRSA, as well as human colorectal cancer cells.
- Rigorous polyphasic taxonomy and whole-genome sequencing confirmed the organism was genetically distinct from all known species, with DNA similarity scores falling below the international thresholds required to classify it as anything already named.
- In 2025, the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology formally recognized Streptomyces mayonensis as a new species — anchoring it in the scientific record and laying the groundwork for future pharmaceutical investigation.
- Researchers are careful to frame this as a beginning: further studies in drug chemistry and metabolomics are needed to determine whether the bacterium produces compounds that are truly novel and clinically viable.
On the slopes of Mayon Volcano, roughly 500 meters above sea level in Albay, a team of University of the Philippines researchers discovered a bacterium that had never been formally named. They called it Streptomyces mayonensis — a new entry in the global scientific record, and a potentially significant one. The genus Streptomyces is responsible for 80 percent of the world's antibiotics, and between five and ten percent of its members' genomes are dedicated to producing bioactive compounds with antibacterial, anticancer, antifungal, and other medicinal properties.
The work began in 2021, when Gerald Aguilar, Kristel Mae Oliveros, Albert Remus Rosana, Rina Opulencia, and Asuncion Raymundo set out to explore one of the Philippines' least-studied environments. From Mayon's volcanic soil, they isolated 30 bacteria; thirteen showed antimicrobial activity. One strain stood apart. It demonstrated effectiveness against Salmonella enterica, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and several fungal species — and showed cytotoxic effects against human colorectal cancer cells. The team had deliberately selected test organisms drawn partly from the WHO's list of pathogens expected to pose the gravest danger by 2050.
To confirm the organism was truly new, the researchers applied polyphasic taxonomy — combining physical observation, biochemical testing, and whole-genome sequencing. The results were unambiguous: the bacterium shared only 57.8 percent digital DNA-DNA hybridization and 93.03 percent average nucleotide identity with its closest known relative, both figures falling below the internationally accepted thresholds for species classification. It stood alone. Their findings were published in 2025 in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.
The discovery arrives against a sobering backdrop. The WHO has repeatedly warned that the antibiotic development pipeline is stagnant — in 2022, only 27 new antibiotics were in clinical development against priority pathogens, down from 31 in 2017. Nearly all recent antibiotics are variations of classes discovered before the 1980s. Moving a candidate from preclinical research to clinical use takes ten to fifteen years, and the odds are steep: only one in thirty candidates from entirely new drug classes ever reaches patients.
The researchers have been measured in their claims. Formally naming the organism, they say, creates a stronger scientific foundation — not a drug. Future work in metabolomics and drug chemistry will be needed to determine whether Streptomyces mayonensis produces compounds that are genuinely novel and therapeutically viable. What the discovery does establish, clearly, is that the Philippines' volcanic soils hold microbial life that science has barely begun to explore — and that the capacity to find it, name it, and pursue its promise exists here at home.
On the slopes of Mayon Volcano, about 500 meters above sea level in Albay, researchers from the University of the Philippines found something that had never been formally named before: a bacterium living in volcanic soil that belongs to one of the most medically important groups of microorganisms on Earth. They called it Streptomyces mayonensis, and in doing so, they added a new entry to the global scientific record at a moment when the world is running dangerously short of new antibiotics.
The discovery emerged from a 2021 effort to explore one of the country's least-studied environments. Gerald Aguilar, Kristel Mae Oliveros, Albert Remus Rosana, Rina Opulencia, and Asuncion Raymundo isolated 30 bacteria from Mayon's volcanic soil. Thirteen of them showed antimicrobial activity against disease-causing organisms. One strain, initially labeled A1-08T, stood out. It demonstrated activity against Salmonella enterica, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, and Fusarium species. It also showed cytotoxic effects against human colorectal cancer cells. The researchers had deliberately chosen a broad range of test organisms—bacteria, yeasts, and molds—to capture a wider antimicrobial spectrum.
But identifying a bacterium's activity is not the same as establishing what it is. To determine whether strain A1-08T represented an entirely new species, the team employed what scientists call polyphasic taxonomy: physical observation, biochemical testing, phylogenetic analysis, and whole-genome sequencing. The genomic work revealed the organism shared only 57.8 percent digital DNA-DNA hybridization and 93.03 percent average nucleotide identity with its closest known relative, Streptomyces olivaceus. Both values fell below the internationally accepted thresholds of 70 percent and 95 percent respectively—the benchmarks scientists use to determine whether bacteria belong to the same species. The organism was genetically distinct enough to stand alone. In 2025, their study was published in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, formally establishing Streptomyces mayonensis as a new species.
The significance of this discovery lies not in the bacterium itself, but in the family it belongs to. Streptomyces species account for 80 percent of the world's antibiotics. Between 5 and 10 percent of the genome in many Streptomyces bacteria is dedicated to producing bioactive compounds with antibacterial, anticancer, antifungal, antiparasitic, and immunosuppressive properties. These organisms thrive in ordinary soils, plant roots, marine ecosystems, and extreme environments from the deep sea to arid deserts. Yet volcanic habitats in the Philippines remained virtually unexplored until 2021, when Oliveros and colleagues began their investigation of Mayon.
The timing of this work matters. The World Health Organization has been sounding alarms about a global shortage of innovative antibiotics. Antimicrobial resistance—the process by which bacteria evolve to survive medicines designed to kill them—is making infections harder and more expensive to treat. In 2021, the WHO warned that none of the 43 antibiotics then in clinical development sufficiently addressed drug resistance among the world's most dangerous bacteria. Almost all antibiotics introduced in recent decades have been variations of existing classes discovered before the 1980s. The agency noted that approximately 30 percent of newborns with sepsis die from bacterial infections resistant to multiple first-line antibiotics. By 2022, the situation had worsened. Only 27 new antibiotics were in clinical development against priority pathogens, down from 31 in 2017. The development pipeline was described as stagnant and far from meeting global needs. It takes 10 to 15 years to move an antibiotic candidate from preclinical work to clinical stages, and the success rates are grim: only one out of every 15 candidates from existing drug classes reaches patients, and entirely new classes have even lower odds, with only one out of every 30 making it through.
The researchers were deliberate in their selection of test organisms. Rosana noted that the team partly chose its pathogens based on the WHO's list of human pathogens posing imminent danger by 2050, primarily due to antibiotic resistance. The choice reflected an awareness that the work had to address real global health priorities.
Yet the researchers have been careful not to overstate what they have found. They did not claim that Streptomyces mayonensis will become a drug. Instead, they said that formally establishing the organism's taxonomic identity creates a stronger foundation for future scientific work. Oliveros emphasized in 2021 that further studies were needed to establish whether the novel species could produce novel bioactive compounds. Future research combining drug chemistry and metabolomics would be vital to determine whether the secondary metabolites it produces are entirely new and potentially effective as chemotherapy drugs. The study itself noted that validating the species enhances understanding of Streptomyces diversity and supports future research into the discovery and exploitation of novel microbial metabolites.
The bacterium's genomic analysis also revealed something about how it survives in volcanic conditions. The organism possessed genes associated with managing environmental stress—mechanisms for regulating water balance, protecting itself from oxidative damage, and acquiring nutrients. It also carried genes linked to the breakdown of complex organic compounds and the production of molecules associated with plant growth promotion. These characteristics demonstrate the adaptability of Streptomyces species to environments that remain understudied. The discovery adds to a growing body of Philippine research examining local microbial biodiversity, an area scientists continue to explore for compounds that may eventually have applications in medicine, biotechnology, and other fields. The UP Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation described the finding as proof that scientific capacity exists at home and called for stronger support for research exploring the country's biodiversity and potential solutions to global challenges.
Notable Quotes
The choice of test organisms was associated with the World Health Organization's list of human pathogens that pose imminent danger to human health by 2050, mainly due to antibiotic resistance.— Albert Remus Rosana, University of the Philippines researcher
Way forward, further studies should be made for us to establish that this novel species can likewise produce novel bioactive compounds.— Kristel Mae Oliveros, University of the Philippines researcher
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does it matter that this bacterium comes from a volcano specifically?
Volcanic soils are extreme environments—high heat, mineral-rich, unstable. A bacterium that thrives there has already proven it can produce stress-response compounds. Those same compounds often have biological activity. The researchers found genes in this organism linked to surviving oxidative damage and managing water balance. That's the kind of adaptation that sometimes translates into antimicrobial or anticancer properties.
But you said they haven't claimed this will become a drug. So what's the actual value of naming it?
Naming it is foundational. Right now, this organism is on the scientific record. Other researchers can study it, request samples, build on the work. Without formal taxonomic status, it's just a strain in a lab. With it, it becomes part of the global knowledge base. And in a field where innovation is stalled—where the WHO says the antibiotic pipeline is stagnant—even a formally documented organism with known antimicrobial activity is a resource.
The source mentions that 80 percent of the world's antibiotics come from Streptomyces. Why is this genus so productive?
Between 5 and 10 percent of their genome is dedicated to producing bioactive compounds. That's an enormous proportion. They've evolved in competitive soil environments where chemical warfare is survival. They produce antibiotics to kill competitors. We've learned to harvest those compounds. This new species is part of that same lineage.
What's the realistic timeline before this could help patients?
Years away, at minimum. The researchers themselves said more work is needed to establish whether it produces novel compounds. Then drug chemistry, metabolomics, toxicity testing, clinical trials. The WHO data shows it takes 10 to 15 years from preclinical work to clinical stages. And most candidates fail. This discovery is a beginning, not a solution.
Then why publish it now? Why not wait until there's something closer to a drug?
Because the foundation matters. The WHO is warning that time is running out on antimicrobial resistance. Every new organism with documented antimicrobial activity, every expansion of the search into unexplored environments like Philippine volcanoes, adds to the pool of possibilities. You can't develop drugs from organisms you haven't found or formally identified. This work opens a door.