A rapid microscale assay for determining growth of wood inhabiting fungi against Lactobacillus metabolites
IRG/WP 09-20412
D O’Callahan, T Singh, I McDonald
Lactobacillus sp. are well known for their ability to produce secondary metabolites with potent inhibitory activity against a wide range of bacterial species and there is increasing evidence to support their antifungal activity. These metabolites are often screened in laboratories using microscale 96-well plate optical density assays. The objective of this study was to develop an optical density assay using 96-well microplates to assess the activity of Lactobacillus metabolites against wood decay fungi. The method was also compared with the standard solid agar growth-rate assay. Furthermore, various nutrient media were used to optimise the growth of Lactobacillus and decay fungi. The microplate assay showed comparable results to the commonly used solid agar growth-rate assay. The effect of secondary metabolites of Lactobacillus grown on MRS media was evident against decay fungi with variance in tolerance level.