https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/w8axg3/being_that_antibiotics_are_derived_from_fungal/
created by DookieDemon on 26/07/2022 at 05:10 UTC
5 upvotes, 4 top-level comments (showing 4)
Mold is a type of fungus and it is capable of fighting off bacteria in some cases, which lead to the discovery of antibiotics (penicillin, etc.)
As we know, bacteria have begun to 'learn' how to overcome these antibiotics and we now have some types of infectious bacterial diseases that are immune to virtually all known antibiotics.
Would these 'super bacteria' also be dangerous to fungi, including molds and mushrooms? If so, what would that mean for the ecosystem and humans?
Comment by CrateDane at 26/07/2022 at 15:18 UTC
9 upvotes, 2 direct replies
The antibiotic-resistant bacteria we have encouraged by use of antibiotics are mostly those that live in or on humans or livestock. They're not often in competition with molds, so there's not much threat that way.
By the way, some antibiotics were actually derived from bacteria. They don't all come from fungi.
Comment by [deleted] at 26/07/2022 at 19:06 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
This is a very interesting question. Firstly it is important to mention that not all antibiotics are fungally derived. However regarding you question, it is indeed likely that many mechanisms of antibiotic resistance existed long before the use of antibiotics in human and veterinary medicine. Inappropriate usage and overusage of antibiotics has prompted the natural selection of resistant organisms and increased acquisition of antibiotic resistant genes, making it a global health crisis. So it will be the case that some fungi will be susceptible to certain antibiotic resistant bacteria. At the same time, novel antibiotic resistant mechanisms have also evolved as a direct consequence of overusing antibiotics through chance by genetic mutation.
Comment by swat_08 at 27/07/2022 at 16:02 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Basically, some bacterias do secrete antibiotics/bacteriostatic/bactericidal enzymes that inhibit the growth or kill the other rival bacteria, so that bacteriocidal/bacteriostatic enzyme could be used to kill/control the group of bacterias it is effective against, and yes we can get antibiotics from bacterias too not necessarily from fungi only. Further, I would like to add what u/CrateDane said *They're not often in competition with molds, so there's not much threat that way.* I totally agree with this reasoning. If you want to know more about bacterial resistance and how they acquire them horizontally and vertically do tell.
Comment by HankScorpio-vs-World at 26/07/2022 at 20:54 UTC*
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
It’s US that are creating the antibiotic resistant bacteria… bacteria replicate at alarming rates and duplication errors are commonplace in there reproduction, some offer advantages, some don’t.
In a hospital setting where a common bacteria is treated with the same products over and over again it only takes a single bacteria resistant to the “cleanser or antibiotic” to survive the cleaning process to reproduce… and each of its offspring are immune and eventually become the dominant strain of that virus in that setting. It is when this resistant bacteria gets spread to new areas that cleansers and antibiotics again will be useless and it becomes entrenched and is spread further.
So it matters not where the antibiotic or cleanser is derived from it’s the way in which it is used that causes the issue… today studies that combine antibiotics into “cocktails” are providing new ways to fight antibiotic resistance as they are proven to be even more effective than any one of the drugs individually. These cocktails of 2or3 antibiotics are the current best short term hope to conquer this problem.