MARINE MICROORGANISMS AS A SOURCE OF NOVEL ANTIFUNGALS

Abstract

Undiscovered natural chemicals having antifungal and antibacterial qualities can be found in understudied environments, such as the world's oceans.    The largest ecosystem on Earth is found in the oceans, which are home to a wide variety of life forms.    In the past three years, there has been an increased focus on the oceans, and it has been demonstrated that marine species such as bacteria, fungi, algae, sea cucumbers, sea sponges, and others may contain chemicals with antibacterial properties.  This review discusses 40 antimicrobial and 56 antifungal compounds found in marine organisms.  The chemicals are separated according to their organismal source and chemical structure groupings, such as terpenes, polyketides, alkaloids, and ribosomal peptides.  The review lists the bacterial and fungal strains that these chemical compounds are effective against along with their minimum inhibitory concentrations, or MIC values.  The study holds great potential for tracking the creation of novel, cutting-edge antimicrobial drugs from these naturally occurring substances that have been isolated and their antibacterial qualities assessed.