Abstract

EVALUATION OF ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF AN ENDOPHYTIC ASPERGILLUS SP. ISOLATED FROM AZADIRACHTA INDICA AGAINST PLANT AND HUMAN PATHOGENS.

Pranay Jain*, Priyanka Sharma

Abstract

Medicinal plants like neem which have been shown to contain bioactive compounds that exhibit multiple health benefits and are therefore, regarded as potential sources of new and improved therapeutic drugs. The present study aims to evaluate the antibacterial and antifungal activity of an endophytic Aspergillus sp. isolated from Azadirachta indica against ten selected plant and human pathogens. Out of the ten test pathogens, the Aspergillus sp.’showed antimicrobial activity against eight pathogens. The endophytic Aspergillus sp. isolated from Azadirachta indica was found to exhibit the antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, Bacillus subtilis, and Gramnegative bacteria Escherichia coli (MTCC 40) and Pseudomonas fluorescens (MTCC 1748). The crude extract of Aspergillus sp. isolate inhibited the growth of opportunistic fungal pathogens, Candida albicans (MTCC 227) and Candida glabrata (MTCC 3814) which could not be inhibited by even the standard antifungal drug, Fluconazol. The Aspergillus sp. also showed zone of inhibition against phytopathogenic fungi Fusarium graminearum (MTCC 2089).

Keywords: Endophytes, bioactive, therapeutic drugs, pathogens.