Coprophilous fungi as a source of new bioactive compounds

Coprophilous fungi are a potential reservoir of bioactive secondary metabolites. It has been postulated that they produce such compounds as defense against other microorganisms and animals in the dung, resulting in enhanced ecological fitness of the producer strains in this highly competitive habitat. Outstanding example is the genus Preussia, from which a high number of compounds with different bioactivities have been already isolated, e.g. auranticins, preussomerins and tezerines. Despite the potential of coprophilous fungi for the discovery of natural products, the secondary metabolisms of a high number of this group remains unexplored. Therefore, the focus of the present project is the isolation of interesting coprophilous fungi for the discovery of new bioactive secondary metabolites that can be used as antimicrobial drugs.