Antifungal activity of Arctic and Antarctic bacteria isolates

Various psychrotolerant bacterial strains with broad-spectrum antimicrobial potential were isolated from a number of Antarctic and Arctic samples (lake sediments, water, as well as faeces, feathers and soils collected in penguin rookeries). Seven isolates from all types of samples exhibited clear antifungal activities against the multidrug-resistant pathogenic yeast strain Candida albicans NCIM 3471. One isolate from the penguin rookery, identified by means of 16S rDNA sequencing as a strain of Enterococcus faecium, showed very strong antimycotic activity against a total of six C. albicans strains. The antibiotic activity was found after ammonium sulphate precipitation and dialysis but was sensitive to proteolytic enzymes.