Mycelium of fungi isolated from mouldy foods inhibits Staphylococcus aureus including MRSA - A rationale for the re-introduction of mycotherapy?
Fungal mycelium capable of producing antibacterial agents was isolated from samples of apple, beetroot, lemon and orange; the mycelium of all isolates produced penicillin, while the apple and beetroot samples also produced the antibacterial mycotoxin patulin. The known penicillin-producing fungi were shown to produce penicillin, but not patulin. The mycelial discs of all of fruit and vegetable isolates, as well as the two known penicillin producing fungi, inhibited Staphylococcus aureus, and mycelium of all isolates inhibited MRSA, in contrast, only one of the two known penicillin-producers did so. The results are discussed in relation to the possibility of using the mycelium of Penicillium species in mycotherapy.
Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Sulaiman
S
Alnaimat
Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
Naiyf S
NS
Alharbi
Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
Sulaiman Ali
SA
Alharbi
Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Saleh H
SH
Salmen
Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Arunachalam
A
Chinnathambi
Biological Sciences Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia.
Bassam O
BO
Al-Johny
Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia ; Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
M
M
Wainwright
Antibiotics; Folk medicine; Mould therapy; Mycotherapy; Wound care