Arresting Microbes with Sea Urchin

Sea urchins are common in Philippine marine waters. The gonads (roe) of the sea urchin are considered a delicacy in different parts of the world. After the gonads are obtained, the other parts are considered wastes. This project aims to detect the presence of antibacterial factors in different parts of the sea urchin, Diadema setosum Leske. Sea urchins were collected in the littoral part of the sea. The sea urchin parts namely: Aristotle’s lantern, body wall, coelomic fluid and gonad, were separated and soaked in absolute methanol.

Crude extracts were tested for antibacterial efficacy on Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa through Disc-Diffusion Method. Results showed that all sea urchin parts’ extracts can effectively inhibit growth of the microorganisms tested. Analysis of data revealed that efficacy of the sea urchin extracts are comparable to that of chloramphenicol depending on the organism tested. From the results obtained, it can be concluded that sea urchin extracts contain antibacterial factors that are effective in arresting microbial growth. Hence, the sea urchin, Diadema setosum Leske, is a potential source of novel natural antibiotics.

Further clarification of the procedures and results should be directed to the researchers and adviser.