Artemisia thuscula Cav.: antibacterial, antifungal activity of the plant extracts and associated endophytes

Abstract

In this paper we are presenting preliminary results for the antifungal and antibacterian activity of the Artemisia thuscula Cav. all together with the endophytic communities encountered in symbiosis with this specie. This plant is endemic for the Canary Islands and it is recognised for its traditional medicinal use (like other species of the same genus in the rest of the world) and for being a functional repellent of insects. The ethanol extracts tested showed an interesting activity against the phytopathogenic fungi Fusarium monilforme, F. solani and F. oxysporum and antibiotic activity against 2 Gram-positive bacteria: Bacillus cereus and Streptomyces griseus, in an primary screening. The diversity of endophytes found in this plant, especially in the roots, showed promising results supporting further work on this species.