Antibiotic Producing Fungi in Sewage: Inhibitory Effect on 4 Bacterial Test Strains, and Different Fungal Types

Abstract

Fungi were isolated from raw sewage and sewage that had trickled down soil columns from a waste water treatment plant in Karlsruhe, Germany, using the laboratory techniques.Fusarium sporotrichioides Sherb, Penicillium funiculosum, and Trichoderma harzianum Rafai were named as isolates from raw sewage. P. notatum Westling, P. meleagrinum Biourge, Aspergillus flavus, Link ex Gray, A. repens, A. fumigatus Fresenius, and A. fischeri Wehmer were among the fungi found in the effluent of the soil columns that were isolated under absolutely anaerobic conditions. Fusarium poae (Peck) Wollenw. and Penicillium chrysogenum Thom. were isolated when samples were cultured in anaerobic jars with nitrate. The coloration, smell, and other fungal traits, such as conidial and conidiophore size, etc., were used to identify the organism. The fungi's antibiotic properties against bacteria were investigated. A little amount of the fungal mycelium was plate-plated on new Nutrient agar and Sabouraud agar after isolation. After two days of incubation, bacteria were cross-streaked toward the fungal colonies on the plates. On the plates, six strains of E. coli, Gram-negative Pseudomonas species, and aerobic Gram-positive Enterococci species were streaked in the direction of the fungi. After that, the plates were incubated in an aerobic environment. Similar to this, five anaerobic Gram-positive Bifidobacterium species strains that were isolated from sewage were cross streaked on fungal plates and then further cultured under anaerobic conditions. When compared to A. flavus and A. fumigatus, P. chrysogenum and A. repens were more effective at inhibiting Enterococci. Only P. chrysogenum, A. fumigatus, and A. repens inhibited Pseudomonas sp. A. fumigatus and P. chrysogenum var meleagrinum only little inhibited E. coli, but P. chrysogenum and A. flavus very successfully did so.Pre-growing P. chrysogenum, P. notatum, and P. meleagrinum on plates for two days in an aerobic environment was followed by cross-stripping with test strains of Bifidobacterium and incubation under strictly anaerobic conditions. Both P. chrysogenum and P. notatum had the greatest inhibitory effects on bifidobacterium.