Limosilactobacillus fermentum MYSY8, a Potential Probiotic Isolate from Fermented Rice Beverage for the Control of Microsporum canis.

Growing concerns about controlling dermatophytes due to antifungal drug toxicity and resistance are leading to increased interest in using probiotics to combat skin infections. Our study focussed on evaluating the probiotic and antifungal attributes of the lactic acid bacteria Limosilactobacillus fermentum LfMYSY8 isolated from fermented rice beverage of India, Haria, to impede the growth of Microsporum canis, a common dermatophyte. The isolate showed promising probiotic characteristics like acid tolerance (44.71% at pH 2), bile tolerance (63.40%), cell surface hydrophobicity (43.26%), a strong auto-aggregation ability (74.5%), osmotic stress tolerance, antibacterial activity, and antibiotic susceptibility. While testing the antifungal efficacy, the cells and the cell-free supernatant (CFS) of the isolate inhibited M. canis growth with an average 98% biomass reduction. Substantial reduction in conidial germination and disruption of hyphal structure was observed. CFS characterization revealed that the organic acid metabolites were responsible for anti-fungal activity. Therefore, potential exists for using this strain to control skin infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]