I don't actually know what is contaminating my media, so I can't provide those details. Something cheap and easily obtainable in Australia would be ideal.
Thanks.
I don't know how expensive or available it is in Australia, but we used to use cycloheximide to control fungal contamination when isolating bacteria from the environment.
We used fungizone, a brand name for Amphotericin B when culturing primary cells from human umbilical cords
Hello, You can use Actidione (commercial name).
500 g for 427 U$ or you can find it in any microbiological lab.
We used cycloheximide. Although some fungi can grow in the presences of cycloheximide like black fungi. it works well for some fungi but I think it is expensive. If you want to isolate bacteria, I think also you can make suspension and then filter them with 0.8 microns filter so I think that fungi can not pass through this filter or may be pass but only the small one. Usually bacteria grow faster than fungi and then you can pick up the bacterial colonies before the fungus starts growing.
Amphotericin B is too expensive, cyclohexamide inhibits yeasts , you can use mycostatin (nystatin) along with actidione (cyclohexamide) 30 mg/ litre each.
We used to use cycloheximide, and I live in New Zealand. I would be surprised if cycloheximide was available in New Zealand but not in Australia. We worked with a plant system.
Indeed, cycloheximide is one of the most commonly used anti-fungal drugs. It is cheap and believed to work well. However, there are fungi and yeasts (basidiomycetous) that tolerate this drug, see for example:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51563707_Basidiomycetous_yeasts_from_Boletales_fruiting_bodies_and_their_interactions_with_the_mycoparasite_Sepedonium_chrysospermum_and_the_host_fungus_Paxillus
So, in most cases you cannot rely on using cycloheximide alone. Nystatin is a good alternative. Filtering out fungal or yeast cells can work as well.
Article Basidiomycetous Yeasts from Boletales Fruiting Bodies and Th...
Best way to answer is find out the type of fungus appear as contaminant. To control the fungus is low concentration of fungicide or any azole will be of use full.
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