Agricultural use P. polymyxa might have possible future applications as a
soil inoculant in
agriculture and
horticulture. Biofilms of
P. polymyxa growing on plant roots have been shown to produce
exopolysaccharides which protect the plants from pathogens. The interactions between this bacterial species and plant roots also cause the root hairs to undergo physical changes.
Antibiotics Some strains of
P. polymyxa produce
antibiotics including fusaricidin
P. polymyxa var.
colistinus produces the antibiotic
colistin.
Surfactant complexes isolated from
P. polymyxa have been shown to be effective in disrupting
biofilms of
Bacillus subtilis,
Micrococcus luteus,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
Staphylococcus aureus and
Streptococcus bovis.
Cell extraction P. polymyxa is a source of
dispase, an enzyme used to isolate cells from animal tissues. ==References==