Evaluation of the Antifungal Chitinase Activity of Bacillus mycoides Isolated from the Ancient Ruins of the Red Mosque

Background: Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) is located in Haroa area of North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India in the ancient port city of Chandraketugarh, representing the Gangaridai of Greaco-Roman accounts. Originally a Buddhist Stupa, which was afterwards converted into a Masjid, commonly known as Lal Masjid. Although the ruins are neither protected nor under routine surveillance; there is no fungal invasion so far. Materials and Methods: We collected swabs from the surfaces of the ruins of the Lal Masjid and culture the collected swabs on different bacteriological media to isolate microorganisms. Results: Ultimately, we could isolate Bacillus mycoides – a bacterium with known antifungal properties. The culture suspension and filtrate of this bacterium showed significant zone of inhibition against Candida albicans (11.0 mm) and Candida parapsilosis (8.5 mm) (which was also confirmed by the MIC results; MIC ~ 10<5-7 Bacillus mycoides per gram). Further chitinase study with B. mycoides against both natural and synthetic chitin delineated the chitin-degrading properties of the microbe. Conclusion: Chitinase activities of B. mycoides prevent fungal growth on ancient ruins of Lal Masjid.