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Volatile antimicrobials from Muscodor crispans, a novel endophytic fungus

¹ Montana State University;
² Brigham Young University;
³ Center for Lab Services

Muscodor crispans is a recently described novel endophytic fungus of Ananas ananassoides (wild pineapple) growing in the Bolivian Amazon Basin. The fungus produces a mixture of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and some of the major components of this mixture are: propanoic acid, 2-methyl-, methyl ester; propanoic acid, 2-methyl- ; 1-butanol, 3-methyl-;1-butanol, 3-methyl-, acetate ; propanoic acid, 2-methyl-, 2-methylbutyl ester ; and ethanol and as determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The fungus does not, however, produce naphthalene or azulene derivatives as has been observed with many other members of the Muscodor genus. This mixture of fungal VOCs possesses antibiotic properties, both in culture as well as artificial mixtures of a majority of the components. The VOCs of the fungus are effective against a plethora of plant pathogens, including Pythium ultimum, Phytophthora cinnamomi, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Mycosphaerella fijiensis (the black sigatoka pathogen of bananas) and the serious bacterial pathogen of citrus- Xanthomonas axonpodis pv.citri. In addition, the VOCs of M. crispans killed several human pathogens, including Yersinia pestis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Staphylococcus auerus. Furthermore, artificial mixtures of the fungal VOCs were both inhibitory and lethal to human and plant pathogens including several drug resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The gaseous products of M. crispans potentially could prove to be beneficial in the fields of medicine, agriculture, and industry.

⁴ E-mail: uplgs{at}montana.edu