Association of Bacterial Communities with Psychedelic Mushroom and Soil as Revealed in 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing.
Applied biochemistry and biotechnology May 1, 2024 Karthiyayini Balakrishnan, Dheebhashriee Krishnaa, Gowdhami Balakrishnan et al. 8 citations
The bacterial communities living inside the fruiting body of the psychedelic mushroom Psilocybe cubensis and in the surrounding soil are essential for the mushroom's health and growth. High-throughput amplicon sequencing of samples from two locations in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India, showed distinct microbial diversity between the mushroom and its soil. Environmental and human factors strongly influenced the microbiomes. The most abundant bacterial genera were Ochrobactrum, Stenotrophomonas, Achromobacter, and Brevundimonas. This work advances understanding of the mushroom's microbial ecology and sets the stage for further research on how bacterial communities affect mushroom growth.