Purpureocillium lilacinum, a biocontrol agent: Bioprospecting of its antagonistic activity against pathogenic Sporothrix spp

Abstract Background Purpureocillium lilacinum is a filamentous, hyaline, anamorphic and ubiquitous fungus described by some authors as biocontrol agent. The genera Sporothrix consists of 8 dimorphic pathogenic species, classically found in the soil, including in the Atlantic Forest. In the last years, there was an increase of studies about Sporothrix spp., however, few of them describing or attempting to isolate these fungi from the soil in Brazil. Previous studies of our group demonstrated that P. lilacinum was able to inhibit the growth of S. brasiliensis and to interact as overgrowth by antagonist pattern in vitro. Thus, the aim of this work was evaluating the antagonistic activity of P. lilacinum isolates against seven pathogenic Sporothrix spp. by dual culture method. Results Our results confirm the greater number of P. lilacinum isolates from soil in an area belonging to the sporotrichosis belt in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as well as the antagonistic activity against pathogenic Sporothrix spp. Conclusions Our study reinforces the need to better study the secondary metabolites produced by P. lilacinum . in the sense to improve its potential of being used as biocontrol agent. Additionally, these compounds may represent a good strategy for the control and treatment of emerging pathogenic fungi in the future.