Abstract
One of hidden mine of antibiotics is endophytic fungi especially that inhibited medicinal plants. In this regard, we are interested in antimicrobial activity of some endophytic fungi isolated from surface-sterilized tissues (leaves, stems, fruits and bulbs) of some commonly medicinal plants growing in Northwestern coast of Egypt. More than one hundred (101) endophytic fungal species isolated from Scorpiurus muricatus, Mellilotus indicus, Lotus polyphyllos, Ononis vaginalis, Nicotiana glauca, Lycium europaeum, Asphodelus aestivus, Echium angustifohum, Fagonia cretica, Pancratium maritimum, and Carduus getulus were tested in vitro for their antimicrobial activities against E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilus, Candida albicanus, Candida glabrata, Penicillium expansum, and Aspergillus flavus. The values of applied diversity indices revealed significant differences in presence, absence and abundance among endophytic fungal isolates. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to report of Alternaria pluriseptata as endophytic species with most dominant and most active in its antimicrobial activity among the isolated species. Seven distinctive groups were revealed from the two-way cluster analysis showing the intensity of antimicrobial activity against tested pathogens: Twenty-five percent of the isolates (26 strains assembled together in group V) exhibited no antimicrobial activity against all tested pathogens while six percent (6 isolates) assembled in group VII revealed high antimicrobial activity against five pathogens.