Antibacterial and Antiviral Metabolites from Cyanobacteria: Their Application and their Impact on Human Health

Abstract Bacterial and viral infections pose a direct threat to human health due to the increase of drug-resistant and novel pathogenic strains. Natural products represent a prolific source of bioactive metabolites, which have been exploited for their therapeutic effects. In particular, cyanobacteria were identified as important producers of secondary metabolites possessing antibacterial and antiviral activities, among others. A meta-analysis indicated that some natural product classes target bacteria or viruses exclusively. This result also applied for some cyanobacterial species that were identified to produce only antibacterial or antiviral compounds. Furthermore, cyanobacteria represent a promising host for bio-production due to their ability to perform photosynthesis and their low-cost production requirements. This review highlights the antibacterial and antiviral compounds found in cyanobacteria and the direct biotechnological application of this organism as a production platform.