Harnessing the Antimicrobial Potential of Red Sea Coral-Associated Bacteria: Current Insights and Future Directions

The global escalation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has intensified the search for new bioactive molecules, particularly from marine environments.Coral reefs are among the planet's most biodiverse ecosystems, harboring intricate microbiomes in which coral-associated bacteria (CAB) play pivotal roles in host nutrition, immunity, and pathogen exclusion.Genera such as Bacillus, Streptomyces, Pseudoalteromonas, and Endozoicomonas synthesize a chemically diverse array of secondary metabolites, including polyketides, lipopeptides, alkaloids, and terpenes, which display broad-spectrum antibacterial, antifungal, cytotoxic, and antiinflammatory activities.These metabolites not only defend corals against pathogens and biofouling but also hold promise as drug leads against multidrugresistant organisms, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans.Investigations, particularly from the Red Sea, continue to reveal novel compounds such as aqabamycins, actinosporins, and saadamycin, underscoring the remarkable chemical richness of CAB and the Red Sea's status as an underexplored reservoir of antimicrobial scaffolds.This review first surveys bioactive natural products from terrestrial and marine origins to provide context for CAB-derived chemistry.It then synthesizes the latest findings on the diversity, biosynthesis, and antimicrobial modes of action of CAB metabolites, with a special focus on Red Sea isolates.By highlighting both ecological function and pharmaceutical potential, we emphasize the enormous yet largely untapped capacity of CAB to yield next-generation therapeutics and advocate for intensified bioprospecting, genome-guided discovery, and pharmacological evaluation to help curb the AMR crisis.