In vitro antibacterial activity of endophytic bacteria isolated from moringa oleifera leaves

The present study was conducted to isolate and identify endophytic bacteria from leaves of Moringa oleifera (Munga) and in vitro antibacterial activity was observed on Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. Twenty leaves samples from Moringa oleifera were taken. The leaves were sterilized and incubated into King’s B agar medium and then again sub-cultured into blood agar and then transferred into BHI broth. The morphological and biochemical characteristics of endophytic bacteria isolated from Moringa oleifera were studied. Antibacterial activity was studied by the disc diffusion method with known antibiotic ciprofloxacin (CIP) as standard. Twenty bacterial isolates from leaves of Moringa oleifera were isolated. The microscopic examination of endophytic bacteria showed that isolates from leaves of Moringa oleifera were gram negative rods. The biochemical characterization of endophytic bacterial isolates from Moringa oleifera showed positive reaction to catalase and oxidase, and negative reaction to coagulase test. All the isolates had shown negative reaction to various enzymic activity tests. Endophytic bacteria from leaves of Moringa oleifera had shown antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella Typhimurium.