Antibacterial potential of fungal endophytes isolated from Carica papaya

Drug resistant bacteria related health problems are major concern globally and search for newer and most effective antibacterial agents is the urgent need to combat with these challenges. The study was undertaken with the aim of isolating and identifying endophytic fungi associated with Carica papaya and assessing their potential as antibacterial agents.

Carica papaya plants were collected from different locations and endophytic fungi were isolated and characterized phenotypically and genotypically by microscopy, colonial characteristics and ITS gene sequencing, respectively. Antibacterial activity of endophyte was assessed against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Salmonella Typhimurium, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes, using the agar plate diffusion assay method with Ciprofloxacin as a positive control.

Thirty four (34) fungal endophytes of two genera Fusarium and Penicillium were recovered from 60 samples of Carica papaya and they showed the antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Thus, the endophytic fungi have the potential to be used as an antibacterial agent.