BIOPROSPECTING POTENTIAL OF ENDOPHYTIC BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM INDIGENOUS PLANTS OF AMBALA (HARYANA, INDIA)

In the present endeavour, bioprospecting potentials (antimicrobial activity, antibiotic susceptibility pattern, enzyme activity and dye degradation ability) of endophytic bacteria isolated from different plants were explored. Total of thirty bacterial endophytes were isolated from the leaves of selected plants by using sterilization treatment followed by serial dilution agar plate technique. All the isolates were evaluated for the antimicrobial activity against 7 pathogenic strains including 2 Gram positive bacteria (Staphylococcus epidermidis and Bacillus amyloliquifaciens)and 2 Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica ser. typhi)and 3 fungi (Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus sp. and Candida albicans) using agar well diffusion method.  Of the 30 bacterial isolates, twenty endophytic bacterial isolates exhibited both antifungal and antibacterial activity. It was observed that 33.33% of isolates exhibited urease activity, 66.66% amylase activity, while 50% esterase activity. Malachite green degradation was observed in 16 (53.33%) endophytic bacterial isolates. The antibiotic susceptibility pattern of endophytic bacterial isolates was evaluated. Five Gram negative bacterial isolates were sensitive to Amikacin, Levofloxacin, Cephotaxime, four isolates sensitive to Aztreonam and three isolates sensitive to Imipenem while four isolates were resistance to Ceftazidime and one was resistant to Imipenem and Aztreonam. Gram positive bacterial isolates were sensitive to Cephalothin, Clindamycin, Erythromycin and Penicillin G and resistant to Oxacillin and Amoxyclav.Further investigations are suggested in order to classify the microorganisms and exploit the potential of the substance produced to inhibit pathogenic microorganisms.