Chapter 12 - Fungal endophytes: a source of antibacterial and antiparasitic compounds

Abstract

The increase and emergence of resistant microbes (bacteria, fungi, parasites) have led researchers to search for new antiinfective drugs and to study new sources of bioactive compounds. Among them, endophytic fungi are attracting more and more attention because this source is still largely underexploited and relatively little studied from a chemical point of view. Because of their specific environment, and especially their constant interactions with their host plant and its entire microbiome, they represent a huge reservoir of bioactive compounds. This review lists the most active antibacterial and antiparasitic compounds isolated from endophytic fungi over the past two decades (2000–19). A discussion of the strains producing these compounds as well as their host plant is followed by a review of new methods used to induce or modify fungal metabolism to discover novel and bioactive compounds.