Antimicrobial Potential of Endophytic Fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Associated with Madhuca longifolia L.

Totally twelve endophytic fungi were isolated from the healthy leaves of Madhuca longifolia L. Among the isolates, the strain that displayed significant antimicrobial activity against the test microorganisms was used for the present study. The fungal isolate was identified as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, based on the morphological characteristics. The ethyl acetate extract of the fungal culture was partially purified by thin layer chromatography and column chromatography methods. Out of six fractions, fraction C of the extract (eluted with n-hexane:ethyle acetate from 60:40 to 50:50) showed an effective antimicrobial activity against the bacterial and fungal test pathogens. Fraction C exhibited maximum inhibition zone of 14 mm, 15 mm and 13 mm against the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli and Candida albicans respectively. Minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) of fraction C against the bacterial and fungal pathogens ranged from 100 μg mL^-1 to 500 μg mL^-1. This study reveals that the endophytic fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides associated with medicinal plants could be a promising source of natural antimicrobial compounds