Ecuador: scientists discover fungus with antibacterial potential 

Researchers from universities in Ecuador and Belgium have discovered a new mushroom species with high potential for medicinal purposes.

This was reported by the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL), a study group member, on Sunday (2).

The educational institution pointed out that mushrooms are a species-rich group, with an estimated 1.5 to 5 million species worldwide, and that Ecuador has at least 96,000 species.

UTPL added that fungi adapt to and survive in different ecosystems, performing various ecological tasks, such as producing various bioactive compounds with medicinal potential that can, for example, fight infections caused by pathogenic bacteria.

Andrea Jaramillo, Juan Pablo Suárez, Ángel Benítez and Darío Cruz from UTPL’s Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, and Cony Decock and Gabriel Castillo Cabello, representing the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven discovered the new fungal species, which has excellent antibacterial potential.

This research was named “Gloeocystidiellum lojanense” after the city of Loja (Cajanuma sector of Podocarpus National Park in southern Ecuador), where it was discovered.

The scientific project began in 2021 with several expeditions in ecosystems throughout Ecuador, managing to identify this species only in the city of Loja.

This fungus, characterized at the molecular level, can combat bacterial infections caused by Escherichia coli, the bacterium responsible for 80% of urinary tract infections, meningitis, and gastrointestinal infections, among others, UTPL explained.

For Jaramillo, a research professor at UTPL’s School of Health Sciences, the discovery is important because, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), “more than 700,000 people die each year due to resistance to drugs used to treat bacterial diseases.

“It is well known that the most common antibiotics used to treat these infections no longer work properly due to increasing bacterial resistance worldwide, which delays the treatment of people with infectious diseases,” he said.

HIGH ANTIBACTERIAL POTENTIAL

The experts said the fungus had been screened for its antibacterial properties, concluding that it had high antibacterial bioactive potential against Escherichia coli.

They clarified that the research process is ongoing as they seek to increase the production of the compound for potential medical applications.

“The discovery of this new species sets a significant precedent for the knowledge and importance of the country’s biodiversity and health science on a global scale,” Jaramillo said.

He added that “the future forecast will focus on developing analyses that confirm the properties of this fungus to inhibit bacteria and its potential medical applications.” Jaramillo recalled bacterial resistance is a public health problem affecting developing countries such as Ecuador.