Pathogenic fungal infections represent a major challenge in modern medicine. They
primarily affect immunocompromised individuals, who often face a high risk of mortality
because of these infections. Millions of people develop fungal infections each year and
their treatment poses a considerable economic burden on healthcare systems due to the
close similarity between fungal and human cells, which limits therapeutic options.
Therefore, the development of novel therapies for the treatment of human fungal
infections is essential. Bacteria of the genus Bacillus represent an important yet
insufficiently explored source of antifungal metabolites. These include lipopeptides,
enzymes, bacteriocins, and volatile organic compounds. They exert antifungal activity by
disrupting the fungal cell membrane or cell wall, inducing intracellular damage, and
inhibiting adhesion, filamentation, invasion, hydrolase secretion, as well as biofilm
formation and dispersal. This bachelor’s thesis is based on a systematic review of the
scientific literature, focusing primarily on in vitro studies investigating antifungal
metabolites produced by Bacillus species and their mechanisms of action. Furthermore,
it highlights the limitations of current research, the need for future investigations in this
field, and the importance of developing novel antifungal therapies, for which bioactive
secondary metabolites produced by Bacillus species represent a promising source.
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