https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:2515 Antimicrobial Peptides (AMP) in the Cell-Free Culture Media of Xenorhabdus budapestensis and X. szentirmaii Exert Anti-Protist Activity against Eukaryotic Vertebrate Pathogens including Histomonas meleagridis and Leishmania donovani Species Fodor, András András Fodor 0000-0003-3495-0154 Eötvös Loránd University Hess, Michael Michael Hess 0000-0002-6991-0120 University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Vellai, Tibor Tibor Vellai Eötvös Loránd University McGwire, Bradford S. Bradford S. McGwire The Ohio State University Kulkarni, Manjusha M. Manjusha M. Kulkarni The Ohio State University Tarasco, Eustachio Eustachio Tarasco 0000-0001-6310-186X University of Bari "Aldo Moro" Klein, Michael G. Michael G. Klein The Ohio State University Sebestyén, Anna Anna Sebestyén Semmelweis University Fodor, László László Fodor 0000-0003-2711-0229 University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Pál, László László Pál 0000-0001-9838-6703 Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dublecz, Károly Károly Dublecz 0000-0001-6913-219X Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences Makrai, László László Makrai Autovakcina Kft Kiss, János János Kiss 0000-0002-0506-5474 Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences Boros, Zsófia Zsófia Boros Eötvös Loránd University , Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences Hess, Claudia Claudia Hess 0000-0002-3535-5157 University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Ganas, Petra Petra Ganas University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna MDPI text eng Anti-microbial peptides provide a powerful toolkit for combating multidrug resistance. Combating eukaryotic pathogens is complicated because the intracellular drug targets in the eukaryotic pathogen are frequently homologs of cellular structures of vital importance in the host organism. The entomopathogenic bacteria (EPB), symbionts of entomopathogenic-nematode species, release a series of non-ribosomal templated anti-microbial peptides. Some may be potential drug candidates. The ability of an entomopathogenic-nematode/entomopathogenic bacterium symbiotic complex to survive in a given polyxenic milieu is a coevolutionary product. This explains that those gene complexes that are responsible for the biosynthesis of different non-ribosomal templated anti-microbial protective peptides (including those that are potently capable of inactivating the protist mammalian pathogen Leishmania donovanii and the gallinaceous bird pathogen Histomonas meleagridis) are co-regulated. Our approach is based on comparative anti-microbial bioassays of the culture media of the wild-type and regulatory mutant strains. We concluded that Xenorhabdus budapestensis and X. szentirmaii are excellent sources of non-ribosomal templated anti-microbial peptides that are efficient antagonists of the mentioned pathogens. Data on selective cytotoxicity of different cell-free culture media encourage us to forecast that the recently discovered "easy-PACId" research strategy is suitable for constructing entomopathogenic-bacterium (EPB) strains producing and releasing single, harmless, non-ribosomal templated anti-microbial peptides with considerable drug, (probiotic)-candidate potential. Escherichia-Coli; In-Vitro; Tetratrichomonas-Gallinarum; Bacteria Xenorhabdus; Resistance; Poultry; Disease; Hfq; Establishment; Depsipeptide http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/api/object/o:2515/download 10.3390/antibiotics12091462 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:605 application/pdf Antibiotics 12(9) (2023) Antibiotics 12 9 1006.30 kB 2023