2 Bacterial Metabolites
l
Over 30 bioactive secondary metabolites from different chemical groups are produced by the symbiotic bacteria Xenorhabdus
and Photorhabdus.
l
The metabolites from Xenorhabdus species are more complex
than that of Photorhabdus.
l
Several Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus species produce more
than one group of bioactive secondary metabolites.
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The bacterial metabolites have a wide spectrum of antimicrobial
activity against bacterial and fungal species including human
pathogenic bacteria, fungi and yeasts, and multidrug resistant
[100–102] and are anti-cancerous [103].
Fig. 1 (a) Life cycle of entomopathogenic nematodes and their symbiotic bacteria. (b) Penetration, infection
and reproduction of entomopathogenic nematodes inside termite
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Biology