Beyond pharmaceuticals: Tapping into nature's weapons against pathogenic resilience

Infectious diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms' impact a vast population of humans every year and spread significantly with alarmingly high fatality rates. The recent drug abuse during the COVID-19 outbreak appears to have led to an increase in multidrug-resistant-associated pathogenic microbial species, which has further exacerbated the already heightened drug resistance. The majority of antimicrobials now in use have limited efficacy, which restricts their use in clinical settings. The escalating threat of antibiotic-resistant infections necessitates alternative solutions beyond traditional pharmaceuticals. Nature has endowed every species, from prokaryotic organisms to enormous eukaryotes, with remarkable systems that contain naturally occurring antimicrobial compounds. The antimicrobial properties of the majority of naturally occurring bioactive compounds obtained from the rich reservoir of plants, bacteria, fungus, animals, marine life, and other sources such as honey, propolis are now being investigated. These compounds have demonstrated the potential to eliminate microbial infections associated with the emergence of drug resistance and tolerance. Apart from these, viruses such as bacteriophages have the ability to invade bacterial cells and cause the bacterium to lyse by disrupting its metabolism. The chapter explores the dominion of natural antimicrobials and dig into the formidable arsenal of antimicrobial properties residing in various natural compounds and provides a comprehensive overview of nature's potential in combating resil- ient pathogens. It explores the inhibitory actions of natural antimicrobial compounds and their potential mechanisms against several pathogenic fungal and bacterial species. The chapter refines the antimicrobial drugs currently in use while establishing new therapeutic approaches based on natural compounds to tackle the rising multidrug-resistant-associated infections.