Eighty-nine Actinomycetes strains were tested for their viability, morpholo
gical and physiological characteristics after being kept under paraffin oil
overlay and distilled water for a period between 10-30 years. Most of the
studied strains belong to the "Lorenzo De Montemayor" collection. Almost al
l the recovered strains were 28-30 years old and had never been subcultured
since the paraffin oil was overlaid. 71.4% of viable Streptomycetes strain
s had been kept on Sabouraud-dextrose agar and 28.6% were kept on Negroni a
nd Bonfiglioli-medium. Streptomyces violaceusruber produced its characteris
tic pigment even after 28 years under these conditions. All of the recovere
d strains were tested for their biological activity, but only Streptomyces
lavendulae showed growth-inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacil
lus subtilis.