Mycolytic Bacteria

a group of non-sporebearing bacteria, mainly of the genus Pseudomonas and Myxobacteria, which are capable of lysing (dissolving) the mycelia of fungi. The enzymes of mycolytic bacteria destroy the membrane of the mycelium; the contents of the mycelium serve as food for the bacteria. Laboratory experiments have shown that mycolytic bacteria can lyse the myceiia of a number of phytopathogenic fungi (Sclerotinia, Fusarium) that cause diseases of seedlings and transplants of pine and cotton.