ABSTRACT
We have been using fungi for our benefit since the beginning of human civilization. Fungi are a rich protein source of food, and are used in food processing and beverage manufacture. They have been exploited commercially for the production of organic acids and other useful compounds such as antibiotics, enzymes, vitamins, steroids, etc. While, fungi also cause a number of diseases both in plants and animals, they also provide us many life-saving compounds such as statins that are potent inhibitors of de novo synthesis of cholesterol in the liver of the human body where approximately 70% of the blood cholesterol is synthesized. In the pages that follow, a brief history of the discovery of statins from fungi is presented. A need for cooperative research using all available modern tools and techniques is emphasized.
