Isolation, characterisation and bioactivities of macro fungal isolates from Western Ghats of Courtallum Hills

In the present study, four macro fungal isolates were collected from tropical evergreen forest of Courtallam Hills, Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu, India. The macro fungal isolates were named as MS1, MS2, MS3 and MS4 at the time of collection. According to the preliminary screening of antimicrobial activity, isolate MS3 was taken for further bioactivities studies. Based on morphological characteristics, the isolate MS3 was identified as Ganoderma sp. at genus level. The Ganoderma sp. MS3 was grown in agar media to study the radial growth rate. The maximum radial growth was observed in PDA medium at 30°C and pH 5.5. The ethyl acetate extract of fruiting bodies of Ganoderma sp. MS3 had an effective antimicrobial activity against bacterial and fungal pathogens. The maximum inhibition zone of 31.2 mm was observed against Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC 3160) and minimum inhibition zone of 27.1 mm was observed against Escherichia coli (MTCC 4296).