A new screening method for discovering antibacterial agents from filamentous fungi

Abstract

Rapid development of resistance among major bacterial pathogens renders antibiotics more and more ineffective and it is crucial to find novel antibiotics for controlling these pathogens. Since high-throughput screening (HTS) that selects antibacterial agents according to targets in vitro rather than whole-cell have not proven effective in the discovery of new antibiotics; new approaches for discovering the next generation of antibiotics are urgently needed. Filamentous fungi are an important source for many of the antibiotics currently used, but screening them for novel antibiotics is difficult primarily due to the lack of efficient screening methods capable of maintaining whole bacterial cell metabolism. In this study, mixed agar plate culture (MAPC) screening method is described. The method maintains the advantages of traditional whole-cell screening but offers increased screening efficiency. Furthermore, its simplicity and convenience makes it suitable for many laboratories. MAPC screening increases the probability of discovering novel antibacterial agents from filamentous fungi under laboratory conditions.

Keywords: Drug-resistant bacterial pathogens, novel antibiotics; screening method, filamentous fungi products