Plant-Associated Endophytic Fungi and Its Secondary Metabolites Against Drug-Resistant Pathogenic Microbes

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is now one of the major concern in the public health globally, as it is increasing the cost of the treatment as well as time of hospitalization. The resistant microbes like bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and virus are responsible for causing simple skin infections to severe infectious diseases like tuberculosis (TB). The major resistant microbes includes methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VREF), resistant Pseudomonas sp., resistant Mycobacterium sp., etc. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also taken many initiatives to combat AMR, one of which is the Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS). The pathogenic microbes are developing resistance to most of the existing antibiotics by different mechanisms, thereby decreasing the efficiency of molecules. New drug molecule identification and development is essential to tackle the AMR. Nature gives the best remedies for various diseases; plant-endophytic fungi symbiotic relation is one of the important sources having high diversity within the various plant tissues and produces therapeutically active secondary metabolites. This chapter mainly focused on compounds isolated from plant associated fungal endophytes that are active against various drug-resistant microbes and may also exhibits synergistic activitywith existing antibiotics. Further investigation is needed for the identification of more active compounds and to bring them for use in therapeutic level.