Antimicrobial activities of fungi derived from the gorgonian sea fan <i>Annella</i> sp. & their metabolites

1491-1498One hundred and sixty-three fungi isolated from gorgonian sea fan Annella sp. were screened for antimicrobial activity against human pathogens. Forty-seven percents of the isolates produced antimicrobial metabolites against at least one pathogen with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) ranged from 1 to 1,280 µg mL-1. Crude extracts from 16%, 21%, 18% and 23% of the isolates inhibited standard strain of Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, respectively. Eighteen percents of the isolates displayed antifungal activity against Microsporum gypseum while only 3% inhibited Cryptoccocus neoformans and Candida albicans. Potential isolates were identified by morphological and molecular characteristics. Twenty-nine pure compounds isolated from ten isolates were evaluated for antimicrobial activity. Griseofulvin from Nigrospora sp. PSU-F13 exhibited the best activity against M. gypseum (MIC 2 µg mL-1). The result indicates that sea fan-derived fungi are a potential source of antimicrobial agents

Two Novel Species of <i>Talaromyces</i> Discovered in a Karst Cave in the Satun UNESCO Global Geopark of Southern Thailand

Karst caves are oligotrophic environments that appear to support a high diversity of fungi. Studies of fungi in Thailand’s caves are limited. During a 2019 exploration of the mycobiota associated with soil samples from a karst cave, namely, Phu Pha Phet in the Satun UNESCO Global Geopark in Satun Province, southern Thailand, two previously undescribed fungi belonging to Talaromyces (Trichocomaceae, Eurotiales, Eurotiomycetes) were studied using a polyphasic approach combining phenotypic and molecular data. Based on datasets of four loci (ITS, BenA, CaM, and RPB2), phylogenetic trees of the section Trachyspermi were constructed, and two new species—Talaromyces phuphaphetensis sp. nov. and T. satunensis sp. nov.—phylogenetically related to T. subericola, T. resinae, and T. brasiliensis, are described. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of the new species are provided. This study increases the number of cave-dwelling soil fungi discovered in Thailand’s Satun UNESCO Global Geopark, which appears to be a unique environment with a high potential for discovering fungal species previously undescribed