Abstract

Methicilin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can be defined as a strain of S. aureus that gained resistance to a large group of beta-lactam antibiotics, which include penicillin and cephalosporin [1]. MRSA is an opportunistic pathogens and it is most common in infecting immune-compromised patients. The worldwide emergence of MRSA is caused by extensive use of antibiotics in the past few decades. Nowadays, MRSA infection is no longer confined to nosocomial infection, but also appears in healthy people in the community with no established risk factor [2]. The recent emergence community acquired MRSA is mainly involving skin and soft tissue infection [3]. MRSA is specially troublesome in hospitals and nursing homes, where patients with weakened immune system are at greater risk on these multi-drug resistant bacterial strains [4]. Topical applications of antibiotics are the most important component of wound infection therapy [5]. Alternative therapies are being sought for treatment of MRSA and one area of interest is the uses of extracts from natural sources. This study was aimed to evaluate in vivo anti-MRSA activity for the dermal administration of dichloromethane extract of P. minioluteum ED24, an endophytic fungus previously isolated from medicinal herb, O. stamineus. To the best of our knowledge, no scientific evaluation of the therapeutic potentials of this endophytic fungus has been done. Hence this study is very important to evaluate the pharmaceutical potential of this endophytic fungus.