Bioprospecting marine-derived <i>Nocardia</i> sp. SPL22-064 of the Lombok Sea exhibits potent anti-nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) activity

This study investigates the bioprospecting potential of marine-derived bacteria from the Lombok Sea, Indonesia, as a source of anti-nontuberculous mycobacteria (anti-NTM) agents. A total of fifty-two isolates were fermented in two different media and extracted, yielding 104 crude extracts. The bioassay-guided screening was evaluated, and the extract derived from the strain SPL22-064 exhibited the most potent activity, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 31.25 µg/ml against <i>Mycobacterium fortuitum</i> ATCC 6841. The strain was identified as <i>Nocardia</i> sp. Untargeted LC-HRMS-based analysis was performed to provide an overview of the chemical profile of the active extract. To our knowledge, this study represents the first report suggesting the potential of a marine-derived <i>Nocardia</i> sp. as a source of antimycobacterial agents.