Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41955261›Full record

ArticlePloS one2026

Antibacterial potential of epiphytic fungi obtained from brown algae of Kenyan coastal waters.

Aragaw Zemene Sendekie, Kimang'a Andrew Nyerere, Purity Kinya Kaaria

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Aragaw Zemene SendekieDepartment of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Pan African University Institute for Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation (PAUSTI), Nairobi, Kenya.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5206-4423
Kimang'a Andrew NyerereDepartment of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Pan African University Institute for Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation (PAUSTI), Nairobi, Kenya.
Purity Kinya KaariaDepartment of Botany, School of Biological Sciences, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Nairobi, Kenya.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The rapid rise of antimicrobial resistance, coupled with the limited development of new therapeutic agents, is a critical public health concern that needs urgent and innovative interventions. Marine fungi represent an important but still largely unexplored source of novel and diverse secondary metabolites with potential to combat multidrug-resistant pathogens. The objective of the present study was to investigate the antibacterial properties of fungal epiphytes associated with coastal brown algae against multidrug-resistant pathogens. Epiphytic fungi were isolated from brown algae of the Kenyan coast and identified using morphological and ITS-based molecular approaches. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the taxonomic placement of the isolates in genera well known for bioactive metabolite production, in agreement with morphological and cultural features. Following the primary screening, nine potent and broadly active isolates were characterized and evaluated for antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant ESKAPE microorganisms (Enterobacter cloacae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The best-performing extracts were subjected to SEM observation, followed by chemical profiling using GC-MS analysis. Both the methanolic and ethyl acetate extracts inhibited bacterial growth, with zones of inhibition ranging from 14 to 30.40 mm. MIC/MBC assays presented potent activity, with values as low as 0.039 mg/mL and 0.156 mg/mL, particularly in extracts from Alternaria spp. (Dib-4), Curvularia spp. (Dib-3), and Penicillium spp. (Sac-12). In contrast, some isolates displayed only moderate or selective inhibitory activity. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis demonstrated morphological alterations in bacterial cells, including membrane blebbing, collapse, and lysis, supporting a membrane-targeting mechanism of action. GC-MS analysis revealed the availability of various bioactive metabolites. These findings indicate that brown seaweed-surface associated fungi from the Kenyan coast represent an untapped reservoir of bioactive constituents with bactericidal activity against multidrug-resistant pathogens. The solvent-dependent recovery of such compounds and the strong activity of selected isolates highlight their promise as candidates for the discovery of novel antimicrobial agents in the future.

Indexed as

Anti-Bacterial AgentsFungiPhaeophyceaeBacteriaKenyaMicrobial Sensitivity TestsPhylogenyAnti-Bacterial Agents

Identifiers

PMID41955261
PMCPMC13065055

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.