Peat Bog Fungi Offer New Insights for Tuberculosis Treatment

Researchers identify fungal compounds that disrupt bacterial survival mechanisms, paving the way for potential treatment advancements.

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health analyzed fungi from U.S. peat bogs to identify compounds toxic to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium causing tuberculosis.
The study discovered three fungal compounds—patulin, citrinin, and nidulalin A—that disrupt thiols, molecules critical for bacterial survival.
These findings highlight the similarity between peat bog environments and tuberculosis lung lesions, both of which are acidic, nutrient-poor, and oxygen-deprived.
While the identified compounds are not directly suitable as drugs, they reveal a promising target for developing therapies that could shorten tuberculosis treatment durations.
Researchers are now focused on identifying drug candidates with similar effects but better pharmaceutical properties for human use.