Abstract
Background: Streptomyces spp. are soil bacteria that have commercial value from which numerous secondary metabolites such as antifungal compounds have been derived. There is growing concern that antifungal resistance is on the rise, and soil Streptomyces from various geographical places might produce novel antifungal molecules. The aim of this study was to characterize and identify the actinomycetes strain namely Streptomyces isolate DW102, and to evaluate its antimicrobial activity against nosocomial fungal pathogens. Materials and Methods: Streptomyces isolate DW102 was identified based on morphological, cultural, physiological, and biochemical properties, together with 16S rRNA sequence. Its antifungal activity was determined by agar well-diffusion assays. Results: The isolate DW102 phenotypic and molecular characterization was identified as Streptomyces cavourensis DW102 and sequencing results were deposited in GenBank under accession number MK508855. Furthermore, the fermented broth of Streptomyces isolate DW102 inhibited the growth of Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans in vitro. Conclusions: Phenotypic, molecular, and phylogenetic analysis of DW102 identified the strain to be S. cavourensis. The antifungal assay showed that DW102 fermentation broth was active against both C. albicans and A. niger in vitro. Further studies are required to use the Streptomyces isolate DW102 as a promising source for the development of antifungal drugs.