Activity of 2,4-Di-tert-butylphenol produced by a strain of Streptomyces mutabilis isolated from a Saharan soil against Candida albicans and other pathogenic fungi.

In a search for new antifungal antibiotics active against Candida albicans and others pathogenic fungi, a strain of actinobacteria, designated G61, was isolated from a Saharan soil and tested for its activity against these microorganisms. The analysis of its 16S rDNA sequence showed a similarity level of 100% with Streptomyces mutabilis NBRC 12800(T). The highest anticandidal activities produced by the strain G61 were obtained on Bennett medium in the fourth day of incubation. The active product, extracted by n-butanol, contained one bioactive spot detected on thin layer chromatography plates. It was purified by HPLC and its chemical structure was determined by spectroscopic analyses as 2,4-Di-tert-butylphenol. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of this product against several strains of pathogenic microorganisms are interesting.