Antibacterial activity of endophytic fungi extracts from the medicinal plant Kigelia africana.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify the endophytic fungi of the medicinal plant Kigelia africana (Lam) Benth. (Bignoniaceae) and to investigate their potential antimicrobial activity. Seven species of endophytic fungi were successfully isolated from K. Africana for the first time: including Cladosporium sp., Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus sp., Curvularia lunata as well as three unknown species. The fungal extracts were assessed for antibacterial activity against three standard pathogenic bacterial strains: Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Most of the extracts showed in vitro inhibition of bacterial growth. The phytochemical screening revealed the existence of a diverse group of secondary metabolites in the crude extracts of the endophytic fungi that resemble those in the host plant extracts.