Fungal Defensin Is Potent Antibiotic

A potent peptide antibiotic of the defensin family has been isolated from a mushroom and shown to be as effective as vancomycin and penicillin in curing mice of experimentally induced peritonitis and pneumonia.

Investigators from the University of California, Los Angeles (USA), Georgetown University (Washington, DC, USA), and the biotechnology company Novozymes (Bagsvaerd, Denmark) collaborated on the isolation of the defensin plectasin from the saprophytic ascomycete Pseudoplectania nigrella and subsequently on its large-scale production using recombinant techniques.

They reported in the October 13, 2005, issue of Nature that the recombinant form of plectasin was especially active against Streptococcus pneumoniae, including strains resistant to conventional antibiotics. More...