Discovered — antibiotics from mushroom grown on horse dung
Editorial Team Nov 10, 2014 at 01:57 pm
Antibiotic properties discovered in a mushroom which grows on horse dung, says a study that appeared in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Microbiologists and molecular biologists at ETH Zurich in Switzerland and the University of Bonn in Germany found a new agent called copsin in mushroom that kills bacteria.
What are the findings of the study?
The antibiotic called copsin is found in the mushroom called Coprinopsis cinerea which grows on horse dung. Copsin has the same effect as the traditional antibiotics but they belong to a different calss of biochemical substances. Markus Aebi, professor of mycology at ETH Zurich said that use of copsin as an antibiotic needs to be tested but it doesn’t rule out the possibility of its use either. (Read:
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The study was conducted by cultivating the mushrooms in a laboratory along with several different types of bacteria. (Read: 8 reasons why mushrooms are good for health)
What did the study conclude?
It was found that C. cinerea is able to kill certain bacteria. Our human body produces defensins to protect itself against infections. Copsin also belongs to the group of defensins – a class of small proteins produced by many organisms to combat microorganisms that cause disease. Various potential applications of the protein are being tested. (Read: Decoded — how microbes make antibiotics)
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