The antibiotic activity of cultures from fungal spores collected by a spore trap on permanent pasture

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Abstract
The air and herbage fungal flora of permanent pasture at Nappan, Nova Scotia, has been sampled by means of a mobile spore trap during the spring, summer, and fall of 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, and 1972. In 1968 and 1972 a random sample of the isolates collected was grown in the laboratory and the cultures obtained screened for their ability to inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungi, and algae. In 1967, 1968, and 1972 about 25% of the isolates tested produced metabolites that were inhibitory to growth. The summer efflorescence observed in all 5 years was not accompanied by a corresponding surge of antibiotic-producing organisms, except in the early summer and fall. Five of the six most commonly found species, when collected in the fall, were more likely to produce antibiotics than the same species isolated in the spring and early summer. This changing faculty of this fungal population to produce antibiotics as the season advances was observed whether bacteria, fungi, or algae were used as test organisms. The results appear to provide experimental evidence for the utility of antibiotic production for survival.

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