ABSTRACT
In the last two decades the search for new antimicrobial compounds from natural products has intensifi ed around the world mainly due to the emergence of strains resistant to antibiotics. The well-known bacteria methicilin resistant Staphylococcus aureus-MRSA (Struelens 2009), vancomycin resistant EnterococcusVRE (Willems et al. 2005), multiresistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis-MDR-TB (Pearson et al. 1992), Clostridium diffi cile and Enterobacteriaceae producing broad-spectrum β-lactamase-ESPL (Lee et al. 2003), besides the fungi Candida spp. and Aspergillus spp., represent one constant threat and has spread in hospitals and communities.
