Antimicrobial activity of endophytic bacteria present status and future perspectives

Antibiotic resistance is defined as the reduction of the effectiveness of an antibiotic during the treatment of infectious diseases. Gram-negative bacteria are more resistant than Gram-positive bacteria due to an outer lipopolysaccharide membrane in their cell wall, which limits antibiotic access to their targets in the bacterial cells. Other mechanisms contributing to antibiotic resistance in bacteria include modifying the antibiotic target site. (Aravamuthan et al., 2010) [5] However, the discovery of new antimicrobial compounds from natural products has declined over the years and has reached a standstill compared to the Golden Antibiotic Age (1940-1960). Endophytic bacteria are ubiquitous in most plant species, either through their active colonisation of plant tissues or their latent residence. Endophytes are microorganisms that reside in the tissues of living plants. They are relatively unstudied and are potential sources of novel natural products for exploitation in medicine, agriculture, and industry. The endophytes of medicinal plants participate in biochemical pathways and produce novel bioactive compounds.