Antimicrobial Potential of Australian Macrofungi Extracts Against Foodborne and Other Pathogens

• Published in: Phytotherapy research Vol. 26; no. 3; pp. 465 - 469
• Main Authors: Bala, Neeraj, Aitken, Elizabeth A. B., Cusack, Andrew, Steadman, Kathryn J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.03.2012; Wiley
• Subjects: 96-well microplate assay; Anti-Infective Agents - chemistry; Anti-Infective Agents - pharmacology; antimicrobial activity; Australia; Bacteria - drug effects; Basidiomycota - chemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Complex Mixtures - chemistry; Complex Mixtures - pharmacology; crude extracts; Ethanol - chemistry; Freeze Drying; Fruiting Bodies, Fungal - chemistry; Fungal Proteins - chemistry; Fungal Proteins - pharmacology; General pharmacology; Medical sciences; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; mushrooms; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Water - chemistry; Australia; Oceania; Fungi; mushrooms; 96-well microplate assay; Pharmacognosy; Plant origin; Extract; antimicrobial activity; Antimicrobial agent; Medicinal plant; crude extracts
• ISSN: 0951-418X; 1099-1573
• DOI: 10.1002/ptr.3563

Basidiomycetous macrofungi have therapeutic potential due to antimicrobial activity but little information is available for Australian macrofungi. Therefore, the present study investigated 12 Australian basidiomycetous macrofungi, previously shown to have promising activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, for their antimicrobial potential against a range of other clinically relevant micro‐organisms. Fruiting bodies were collected from across Queensland, Australia, freeze‐dried and sequentially extracted with water and ethanol. The crude extracts were tested at 10 mg/mL and 1 mg/mL against six pathogens including two Gram‐positive and two Gram‐negative bacteria along with two fungi using a high throughput 96‐well microplate bioassay. A degree of specificity in activity was exhibited by the water extract of Ramaria sp. (Gomphaceae) and the ethanol extracts of Psathyrella sp. (Psathyrellaceae) and Hohenbuehelia sp., which inhibited the growth of the two fungal pathogens used in the assay. Similarly, the ethanol extract of Fomitopsis lilacinogilva (Fomitopsidaceae) was active against the Gram‐positive bacteria B. cereus only. Activity against a wider range of the microorganisms used in the assay was exhibited by the ethanol extract of Ramaria sp. and the water extract of Hohenbuehelia sp. (Pleurotaceae). These macrofungi can serve as new sources for the discovery and development of much needed new antimicrobials. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.