Why we must do the research about gaining antibiotic compound from endophytic microbe? Isn't enough getting antibiotic from plants? Because we just need a little dried powder from plant to get more crude extract than microbe. I think if we use microbe/endophyte, the cost will be more expensive than when we use plant. or, it is about the process to purifying antibiotic compound from endophyte is easier than from plant ? What do you think ?
Microorganisms are easier to culture than plants (at least, the culturable microbes).
Thinking about a grass plant that produces antibiotics, the time required to get enough biomass to isolate a significant amount of antibiotics is several months. And, depending on the amount of antibiotic required and the ratio from the total biomass, extended areas will need to be cultivated, which comes at a cost.
On the other side, microbial fermentation can be optimised at bench scale and then can be scaled up for industrial needs. Rather than huge fields, a lot of workforce and seasonality, it will suffice a plan and a continuous production cycle.
Furthermore, engineering microbes is easier and faster than plants. The engineered microbes can be used in a closed environment, complying with laws that don't welcome OGMs (like in Europe).
Endophytes are a huge and under explored source of chemicals that would be extremely easy to produce, viable under the economic point of view, potentially useful under the environmental point of view (as waste products can be used in the fermentation process, eventually).
I'd say is a field worthy to explore.
In addition to the wonderful response of Andrea Uccello, I think the single fact that microbes are cultured away from climatic/weather fluctuations makes them worthy of exploration.
Additionally, the microbes can be manipulated in more diverse ways than we can ever achieve with plants. Endophytic microbes have unique characteristics that make them likely to be great candidates the development of novel antimicrobials.
Finally, the fact that antimicrobial resistance is spreading faster than we are developing new microbes means that any and all options must be exhaustively investigated. We simply cannot foreclose any options.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Biological Science
- Microbiology
- Microorganisms