Antibacterial activity of marine-derived fungi

A total of 227 marine isolates of ubiquitous fungi were cultivated on different media and the secondary metabolite content of the extracts (ethyl acetate/chloroform/methanol 3:2:1) characterized by HPLC. The fungi were secured from animals, plants and sediments of Venezuelan waters (0-10 m) including mangroves and lagoonal areas. The extracts were tested for antibacterial activity. A total of 7 were active towards Vibrio parahaemolyticus and 55 towards Staphylococcus aureus, representing 18 different fungal species from 8 ascomycetous genera. For 61 strains of Penicillium citrinum antibacterial activity correlated well with content of secondary metabolites as measured by HPLC. Thirteen isolates of Penicillium steckii produced very similar profiles of secondary metabolites and 6 of these had activity against either V. parahaemolyticus or S. aureus or both.