The College of Science at the University of Basra organized a seminar entitled (Pigmented Yeasts, Its characteristics are their spread and their medical importance). by the graduate student Haneen Maan Abdel Hafez The study aims to test the ability of some fungi isolated from the environment to produce secondary metabolites, isolate and purify effective compounds and test their biological effectiveness against a group of organisms (Human pathogenic microorganism). The study included a group of fungi, including pigmented yeasts, which are single-celled, eukaryotic organisms with a global spread that are found everywhere (air, water, soil), where types of yeasts were isolated at a depth of 20-30 cm under different soils, whether they were forest soils or desert soils. Or clay, and fungi, including yeasts, are characterized by their ability to produce secondary metabolites with different chemical compositions, especially in the soil due to intense competition with fungi and other microorganisms, which requires them to find defensive means to survive. Among these secondary metabolites that fungi produce toxins and antibiotics from a pharmaceutical point of view are considered Secondary metabolites with biological activity are an interesting candidate for therapeutic uses, as secondary metabolites of a number of fungi contain activities against microorganisms, including pigments such as carotenoids, which are tetraterpenoid compounds that have an orange or pink color and are found in plants and can be produced by colored yeasts, including Rhodotorula rubra and there are other pigments such as melanins, azaphilones, flavins, phenazines, quinones, monascin, violacein, indigo, etc. They are also produced by many fungi, and some yeasts also produce organic acids with biological activity such as lactic and carboxylic acids, such as lactic and carboxylic acids. Citric acid, where he indicated the effectiveness of citric acid in inhibiting Candida albicans Malassezia furfur.
