Study of the antagonist interactions between invasive plants from Danube Delta and the associated microbiota

Elodea nuttallii has been introduced from North America to Europe and it is now common in many water bodies where it forms dominating stands. We investigated the antimicrobial potential of E. nuttallii against Enterobacter cloacae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from different submersed macrophytes. Methanolic extracts of this invasive plant inhibited the growth of most of the tested microbial strains. The quantitative assay of the antimicrobial activity was performed by broth microdilution method in order to establish the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). The obtained results are leading us to the hypothesis that E. nuttallii could be used for the development of novel antimicrobial products.