Isolation of untested fungi

MANY SPECIALTY CHEMICALS AND NEW PHARMECEUTICALS ARE SECONDARY METABOLITES SYNTHESIZED BY RESTRICTED GROUPS OF MICROORGANISMS. IN THE COURSE OF COLLECTIN MICROBES FOR INDUSTRY, MYCOSRESEARCH ISOLATES MANY UNTESTED FUNGI THROUGH THE APPLICATION OF NOVEL, PROPRIETARY FUNGAL ISOLATION TECHNIQUES. LACK OF KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING THE GROWTH REQUIREMENTS OF UNUSUAL FUNGI HAMPER OUR EFFORTS TO MAINTAIN THEM. SUBSTANTIAL BENEFITS COULD BE REALIZED IF WE BROADENED THE SPECTRUM OF SPECIES MADE AVAILABLE TO CORPORATE SCREENING PROGRAMS. THIS COULD BE ACHIEVED IN TWO WAYS: IMPROVED INHIBITION OF BACTERIA THAT OVERGROW YOUNG FUNGAL COLONIES; LEARNING MORE ABOUT NUTRITION OF UNUSUAL FUNGI. WE PROPOSE TO TEST THE FEASIBILITY OF ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY TESTING OF BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM FUNGAL SUBSTRATES PRIOR TO FUNGAL ISOLATION ATTEMPTS. RECENT ADVANCES IN ENHANCED BACTERIAL ACTIVITIES OF B-LACTUM ANTIBIOTICS WOULD BE FIELD TESTED. WHEN EFFECTIVE COMBINATIONS OF ANTIBIOTICS ARE INCORPORATED INTO FUNGAL ISOLATION MEDIA IT WOULD INCREASE THE NUMBERS OF VIABLE FUNGAL COLONIES AND SHOULD INCREASE FUNGAL DIVERSITY. (1) A VITAMIN, MINERAL AND AMINO ACID SUPPLEMENT, (2) LEAF LITTER EXTRACTS, (3) PEAT MOSS HYDROLYSATES, (4) FILTER- STERILIZED EXTRACTS FROM FRESH BACTERIAL AND YEAST LIQUID CULTURES AND (5) BUFFERED PH WOULD BE EVALUATED FOR ENHANCEMENT OF FUNGAL COLONY DEVELOPMENT ON ISOLATION PLATESAND MAINTENANCE CULTURES. COMPARISONS OF SPECIES DIVERSITY AND GROWTH BETWEEN A STANDARD 1% MALT AGAR WITH PENICILLIN &STREPTOMYOCIN AND EXPERIMENTAL MEDIA WOULD BE THE BASIS FOR CREATING IMPROVED ISOLATION & MAINTENANCE MEDIA. IMPROVED ISOLATION CAPABILITIES WOULD AIDE ENVIRONMENTALLY- RELATED STUDIES IN WHICH FUNGI WERE INVOLVED. THIS INCLUDES INDUSTRIAL ENZYMES LIGNOCELLULOSE BIODEGRADATION-FATE OF ARGOCHEMICALS & PLLUTANTS, BIOLOGICAL CONTROL, ETC.