Bioactive Potential of Streptomyces Spp. Against Diverse Pathogenic Fungi

The emergence of multidrug resistance in pathogenic fungi seriously threatens human health. The mycotoxins produced by fungi can cause dangerous infections both superficial, subcutaneous, or systemic. Fungi not only harm humans but also have a severe impact on crops. Infections caused by fungi on crops lead to a severe loss of food production. Synthetic fungicides are often able to control plant diseases to a large extent, but some fungicidal drugs cause severe environmental and health problems. Humans keep on exploring new ways of developing antifungal agents from different sources to combat fungal resistance. Actinomycetes, especially Streptomyces spp., are valuable biological control resources due to their ability to produce bioactive secondary metabolites with novel structures and remarkable biological activities. Compounds produced by them are antifungal, anticancer, antibacterial, and antiviral belonging to distinct chemical classes. This review has discussed the severe impact of man-made/synthetic fungicides and conventional practices on environmental health and will explore the antifungal potential of compounds derived from Streptomyces spp. to redress the prevailing situation.