title: Antimicrobial activity of Coniothyrium minitans and its macrolide antibiotic macrosphelide A.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Assessment of antimicrobial activity of the mycoparasite Coniothyrium minitans and its macrolide antibiotic macrosphelide A.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirteen isolates of C. minitans were tested for ability to inhibit a number of filamentous fungi, yeasts, oomycetes and bacteria in agar based tests. Activity was found against some ascomycetes, basidiomycetes, oomycetes and Gram-positive bacteria, but not against zygomycetes, yeasts or Gram-negative bacteria tested. Six C. minitans isolates (Conio, Contans, IVT1, CM/AP/3118, B279/1, A1/327/1) were found to produce macrosphelide A in liquid culture and no other antibiotics were detected. On agar, macrosphelide A inhibited growth of some ascomycetes, basidiomycetes, oomycetes and all four Gram-positive bacteria tested, including the medically important Staphylococcus aureus with a minimum inhibitory concentration of < or =500 microg ml(-1). There was no inhibition observed against the yeasts and Gram-negative bacteria when macrosphelide A was tested at 700 microg ml(-1).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The spectrum and level of activity of macrosphelide A produced by C. minitans against micro-organisms are extended markedly compared to previous reports.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Macrosphelide A was effective against Staph. aureus. Further study on the control of this bacterium is merited in view of the development of antibiotic resistance.
authors.affiliation: Warwick HRI, University of Warwick, Wellesbourne, Warwick, UK.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tomprefa
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: McQuilken
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Whipps
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000898:Antibiosis; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D006571:Heterocyclic Compounds / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D018942:Macrolides / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009868:Oomycetes / Q000187:drug effects*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D015003:Yeasts / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D006571:Heterocyclic Compounds; D018942:Macrolides; C097798:macrosphelide A