. Actinomycetes continue to play a highly significant role in drug discovery and development. Among the bioactive compounds that have been obtained so far from microbes, 45 % are produced by actinomycetes, 38 % by fungi and 17 % by unicellular eubacteria (2). Further many chemically synthesized drugs owe their origin to natural sources. In this review article, we highlight the recent antibiotics from actinomycetes with emphasis on their source, structures, activity, mechanism of action and current status.