Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Microbiology 2008-3289 9 1 2017 05 18 11 18 EN Maryam Beiranvand Health Research Institute, Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran Mansour Amin Health Research Institute, Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran Abdolrazag Hashemi-Shahraki Department of Epidemiology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran Bizhan Romani Cellular and Molecular Research Center (CMRC), Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences (AJUMS), Ahvaz, Iran AND Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E1, Canada Sajad Yaghoubi Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health and Institute of Public Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Parisa Sadeghi Clinical Biochemistry Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran 2016 05 15 2017 02 10 Background and Objectives: Endophytic actinobacteria colonize inside the plant tissues without causing damages to the host plant. Since these microorganisms colonize in the different parts of plants and can stop plant disease, they have been applied as biological agents for controlling human diseases. The aim of this study was molecular identification and measuring the antimicrobial activity of endophytic Actinomycetes isolated from medicinal plants of Iran. Materials and Methods: The total of 23 medicinal plant samples were collected, sterilized, and crushed. Small pieces of the crushed samples were then cultured directly on three selective media. Grown colonies were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing method. Each isolate was cultured in TSB medium and then antimicrobial compound was extracted using ethyl acetate and tested against the target bacteria. Results: Sixteen out of 23 bacterial isolates (69%) exhibited antimicrobial activity against the selected pathogenic bacteria, such as Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Citrobacter freundii, Proteus mirabilis, Shigella flexneri and Escherichia coli. Conclusion: Our Study showed a high phylogenetic diversity and the potent antibiotic activity of endophytic bacteria in medicinal plants of Iran.   https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/view/1018 https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/download/1018/695