Isolation, identification, and activity in vitro of killer yeasts against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides isolated from tropical fruits.

A total of 580 yeasts strains, isolated from Ceara State of Brasil, were evaluated for their ability to produce killer toxin. Of these strains, 29 tested positive for the killer phenotype and were further evaluated for their ability to control Colletotrichum gloeosporioides germination in vitro. All yeast strains that expressed the killer phenotype were characterized by sequencing the D1/D2 regions of the large subunit of the rRNA gene.