Production of Antibiotics by Species of Myrothecium

SUMMARY

The mold previously known as Metarrhizium glutinosum Pope has recently been shown to be identical with the well-established species Myrothecium verrucaria (Alb. & Schw.) Ditm. ex Fr. A strain of “Metarrhizium glutinosum,” previously shown to produce, in the course of its metabolism, two biologically active substances, one highly fungistatic (glutinosin) and the other causing severe dermatitis, has been compared with several strains of Myrothecium verrucaria, Myrothecium roridum, and Myrothecium inundatum. The strains of Myrothecium verrucaria and Myrothecium roridum behaved similarly, all producing a fungistatic substance (not yet shown to be chemically identical with glutinosin) and all except one strain of Myrothecium roridum producing the dermatitic substance. This result emphasizes the very close relationship between Myrothecium roridum and Myrothecium verrucaria. A single strain of Myrothecium inundatum examined did not produce either the fungistatic or the dermatitic substance.