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Antibacterial and Antifungal Activities of Stereum ostrea, an Inedible Wild Mushroom

Summary

Scientists discovered that an inedible wild mushroom called Stereum ostrea contains compounds that can fight against harmful bacteria and fungi. Though tough and leathery in texture, extracts from this mushroom showed promising ability to inhibit the growth of disease-causing microorganisms. Impacts on everyday life: • Could lead to new natural antibiotics for treating infections • May provide environmentally friendly alternatives for crop protection against plant diseases • Demonstrates the untapped potential of wild mushrooms in medicine • Shows how inedible fungi can still have valuable uses • Contributes to the growing field of natural antimicrobial alternatives to synthetic drugs

Background

Stereum ostrea is an inedible wild mushroom belonging to Stereaceae, Basidiomycota. Known as the ‘False turkey tail’, it has tough, leathery texture and grows saprophytically on dead hardwoods. While it has traditional folk medicine uses, scientific evidence of its therapeutic properties was limited. Recent research identified new compounds including stereumone and aromatic compounds with nematocidal activity.

Objective

To evaluate the antibacterial and antifungal activities of liquid culture filtrate, water extract, and ethanol extract from Stereum ostrea against five pathogenic bacteria and three plant pathogenic fungi. The study aimed to identify potential antimicrobial compounds from the mushroom’s cultures.

Results

The MIC was 10 mg/ml for B. subtilis and 40 mg/ml for C. gloeosporioides and C. miyabeanus. Liquid culture filtrate showed stronger effects against Gram-positive than Gram-negative bacteria, with S. aureus being most inhibited (20.3 mm zone). Water extract performed better than ethanol extract, showing inhibition zones of 23.6 mm for S. aureus and 26.3 mm for P. aeruginosa. For fungi, the highest PIMG (85.2%) was observed against C. miyabeanus using water extract.

Conclusion

The study demonstrated that various extracts from S. ostrea contain potential compounds that effectively inhibit both bacterial and fungal growth. Water extract showed the strongest overall antimicrobial activity among the tested preparations. The findings suggest S. ostrea contains promising therapeutic compounds warranting further investigation and characterization.
  • Published in:Mycobiology,
  • Study Type:Laboratory Research,
  • Source: 10.4489/MYCO.2007.35.4.210
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