[Use of electrical impulses for selective isolation of actinomycetes f rom soil]

A new method was elaborated for the selective isolation of actinomycetes from soil, which involves the pretreatment of soil samples with electric pulses. The treatment of soil with 3-ms electric pulses at a field intensity of 12 kV/cm2 resulted in a significant (threefold on average) increase in the proportion of representatives of rare actinomycetes isolated. This treatment regime was found to be most efficient for the selective isolation of representatives of the genera Actinoplanes, Micromonospora, Actinomadura, and Microtetraspora. The proportion of representatives of the genera Streptosporangium and Saccharotrix also increased. The treatment of soil samples with 3-ms electric pulses at a field intensity of 16 kV/cm resulted in highly selective isolation of representatives of the genus Nocardioides.