Ecological effects of antibiotic production by dermatophyte fungi.

Abstract Antibiotic production by dermatophyte fungi has been demonstrated in vivo in the lesions of patients with dermatomycoses. Patients infected with antibiotic-producing strains more frequently carried cocci resistant to penicillin and other antibiotics than did patients infected with non-producer strains. The total bacterial load was less in lesions caused by producer fungi. In vitro studies demonstrated the selection of penicillin-resistant S. aureus from mixed populations of resistant and sensitive cells.