Antimicrobial Potential of Mushrooms: Emergence of Mycotherapy

The 21st century enters a “post-antibiotic world,” with just a few alternatives for combating antibiotic-resistant microbial strains. The search for new antimicrobials which could overcome the situation of antimicrobial resistance is of prime importance and the need of hour. Herbal antimicrobials pose a plethora of new antimicrobial drug discoveries. Mushrooms give rise to a number of bioactive chemicals that are known to have anti-pathogenic qualities as well as safer and more effective therapeutic effects in the treatment of human diseases. As a result, this chapter emphasises that mycoconstituents might be an alternate treatment regimen and could play a role in novel drug discovery against various infections. This chapter contains information about the potential use of mycoconstituents in the management and treatment of infectious diseases. The approaches illustrate the importance of primary screening of bioactive molecules from mushrooms as a potential step by offering new possibilities for clinical and pharmacological research and development. Traditional antibiotics can now be substituted with newer and more effective natural antimicrobials derived from mushroom extracts to treat a variety of fatal and multi-drug resistant infectious diseases. As a result, this functional food extract might play a significant role in naturally combating infections and offering a comprehensive approach to treatments. Finally, we will go through the mechanics of mushroom antimicrobial potentials and presents an insight into “Mycotherapy”. 

Keywords: Antibiotics, Mushrooms, Mycoconstituents, Pathogenic, Resistance.