Microbial Flora of Smoke-Dried Catfish (Clarias Gariepinus) Processed and Sold in Some Abattoirs in Bayelsa and Rivers States

The microflora of smoked catfish (Clarias gariepinus) sold in some abattoirs in Bayelsa and Rivers States were investigated. Smoked catfish samples were purchased within abattoirs and aseptically transported in ice-packed coolers to the laboratory. The total heterotrophic bacteria, total coliform, total hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria, total fungi and hydrocarbon utilizing fungal counts and identification of isolates from samples were analyzed using standard microbiological methods. Mean values of counts obtained showed that total heterotrophic bacteria ranged from 5.4 × 106CFU/g to 4.0 × 105CFU/g, total hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria ranged from 1.5 × 104 to 1.0 × 103CFU/g, total coliform ranged from 1.7 × 106CFU/g to 0, total fungi ranged from 4.3 × 104 CFU/g to 1.2 × 104CFU/g and total hydrocarbon utilizing fungi ranged from 3.5 × 103CFU/g to 1.1 × 103CFU/g. Kruskal Walis H test showed no significant differences (P≤0.05) in the total heterotrophic bacterial load nor in the total fungal load in the locations. Bacteria identified are Bacillus sp, Enterobacter sp, Escherichia coli, Micrococcus sp, Pseudomonas sp, Salmonella sp., and Shigella species. Bacillus sp, Pseudomonas sp and Micrococcus sp., were isolated in all the samples. Salmonella sp and Shigella sp occurred in Igbogene and Swale samples. Bacillus sp recorded the highest occurrence (34%) while Enterobacter sp. and Micrococcus sp recorded the least (7%). Bacteria with hydrocarbon utilizing potentials with percentage occurrence were Bacillus sp (70%) and Pseudomonas sp (30%). Fungi isolated were Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium sp, Fusarium sp., and Rhizopus sp. Aspergillus species recorded the highest frequency (36.0%) while Rhizopus sp recorded the least (9.83%). Aspergillus niger, Fusarium sp and Penicillium sp were isolated from all the samples. Penicillium sp recorded hydrocarbon utilizing the potential and the highest percentage of occurrence (35.89%). The presence of a high microbial load of pathogenic bacteria and known mycotoxin producing fungi in the smoke-dried catfish are of great public health significance.

Detection of viable and total fungal community in zaopei of Chinese strong-flavor baijiu using PMA combined with qPCR and HTS based on ITS2 region

Background Chinese strong-flavor baijiu (CSFB), one of the three major baijiu types, is the most popular baijiu type among consumers in China. A variety of microbes are involved in metabolizing raw materials to produce ethanol and flavor substances during fermentation, which fundamentally determined the quality of baijiu. It is of great importance to study microbial community of fermented grains (zaopei) during baijiu brewing process for improving its quality. In this study, we firstly used propidium monoazide (PMA) to treat zaopei samples from 5-year pit and 20-year pit for removing the interference of non-viable fungi, and analyzed the diversity of total fungi and viable fungi by quantitative PCR (qPCR) and high-throughput sequencing (HTS) based on ITS2 gene. Results The results showed that total fungi and viable fungi displayed no significant differences at OTU, phylum, or genus levels during fermentation within two kinds of pits. A total of 6 phyla, 19 classes, and 118 genera in fungi were found based on OTUs annotation in zaopei samples from 5-year pit and 20-year pit. Besides, non-viable fungi had little effect on the fungal community diversity during the fermentation cycle. It was found that the most dominant viable fungi belonged to Saccharomyces, Kazachstania, Naumovozyma, and Trichosporon, and Naumovozyma was firstly detected in zaopei samples of CSFB. Moreover, based on the variation of flavor substances in zaopei samples, the quality of CSFB produced from older pit was better than that produced from younger pit. Conclusion The non-viable fungi had little effect on the fungal diversity, structure, and relative abundance in zaopei samples of CSFB, and Naumovozyma was firstly detected in zaopei samples of CSFB. Our findings can be applied as guidance for improving the quality and stability of CSFB.

pH, Total Bacteria and Total Fungi Litter Fermentation at Different Ripening Durations

This study aims to examine the effect of fermentation time on pH levels, total bacteria and total fungi litter chicken fermented. The research method was carried out by collecting various chicken litters from 16 closed house cages in Semarang City, Demak Regency and Kendal Regency, then combined and fermented. The study used a completely randomized design in the direction of 4 treatments and 4 replications, the treatments were T0 = 0 week litter curing; T1 = 3 weeks litter curing; T2 = 6 weeks of litter curing; T3 = 9 weeks litter curing. The parameters observed were pH value, total bacteria and total litter fungi in broiler chickens. The results showed that there was a significant effect (P <0.05) between curing time on the pH value and the total litter bacteria in fermented broiler chickens. The longer the curing time, the pH value decreases, because the longer fermentation process produces more organic acids. The results of the calculation of total bacteria show that the best treatment is the T2 treatment with the number of bacteria as much as 8.12 x 107 log CFU / g. Meanwhile, the total fungus had no significant effect (P> 0.05) on all treatments. The conclusion of this research is the best chicken litter fermentation at 6 weeks duration of ripening. Produce a total of bacteria and fungi as much as 0.25 x 103 CFU/g and indicated that they were not pathogenic bacteria and fungi.

Contribution of Visible Surface Mold to Airborne Fungal Concentration as Assessed by Digital Image Quantification

The rapid monitoring of total fungi, including air and surface fungal profiling, is an important issue. Here, we applied air and surface sampling, combined with digital image quantification of surface mold spots, to evaluate the contribution of surface fungi to airborne fungal concentrations. Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and yeast often appeared in the air or on wall surfaces during sampling. The indoor/outdoor concentration ratios (I/O ratios) demonstrated that the airborne concentrations of commonly found fungal genera outdoors were higher than those indoors (median I/O ratio = 0.65–0.91), excluding those of Penicillium and yeast. Additionally, the surface density (fungal concentration/area) of individual fungi showed no significant correlation with the airborne concentration, excluding that of Geotrichum. However, if a higher surface ratio (>0.00031) of mold spots appeared in the total area of an indoor environment, then the concentrations of Aspergillus and Geotrichum in the air increased significantly. Our results demonstrated that the airborne concentration of indoor fungi is significantly correlated with the outdoor concentration. A higher density of surface fungi does not necessarily contribute to a high fungal concentration in the air. In contrast to fungal density, quantification of the surface fungal area is recommended to assess the risk of surface fungi propelling into the air.

Effects of seasonal variation and locations on microbial load in sediment and water of a polluted ecosystem

Seasonal effects on microbial load of sediment and water at different locations along Bonny Estuary of Niger Delta was investigated for a period of 12 months. All analyses followed standard procedure. Results revealed that total fungi counts in sediment and water at different locations were not significantly different (p > 0.05) at both wet and dry seasons while hydrocarbon utilizing fungi showed significant differences (p < 0.05) at both seasons in both sediment and water samples. During the wet season, total faecal counts ranged from 5.0 to 10.0 x 105 CFU/g for sediment and 4.0 to 7.0x 105 CFU/g in water. In dry season, the concentration of hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria in the sediment ranged between 0.1 x 105 CFU/ml/g and 8.0 x 105 CFU/ml/g in wet season while in dry season, the concentration in water ranged between 0.1 x 105 CFU/ml/g and 6.0 x 105 CFU/ml/g at Abuloma. At Okwujagu, total heterotrophic bacteria counts in sediment ranged from 0.1 to 8.0 x 105 CFU/g in dry season. This was higher than the range 0.1 to 6.8.0 x 105 CFU/ recorded in Abuloma, Okwujagu and Slaughter at dry season. The highest vibrio counts in water (11.0 x 105 CFU/ml) for wet and (10.0 x 105 CFU/ml) for dry seasons were recorded at Slaughter. In Oginiba, the feacal count recorded 3.0 x 105 CFU/ml in water during the wet season and 2.0 x 105 CFU/ml for dry season. Generally, there were significant differences (p < 0.05) in the bacterial concentrations in both sediment and water. This showed that different seasons favour the growth of certain microbial types.

Aero-microbiology of Selected Poultry Farms in Imo State, South Eastern, Nigeria

The aero-microbiology of selected poultry farms in Imo State, South Eastern Nigeria was investigated by microbial analysis. Result revealed that in Owerri poultry farm, Pm2.5 had a range of 8-36±1.4 ug/m3, PM10 had a range of 19-55±1.4ug/m3, a temperature range of 34.1-37.8±4.2oC and a relative humidity of 63.3-81.6±0.0%, while poultry farm at Okigwe had Pm2.5 range of 8±1.4-21±1.4ug/m3, PM10 had a range of 20±1.4- 88±2.8ug/m3, a temperature range of 28.6±1.2-38.1±0.0oc, and a relative humidity of 63.4±0.0-87.0±1.4%. Total heterotrophic bacterial count (THBC), total coliform count (TCC), Total Staphylococal count(TSC) and total fungi count (TFC) examined showed that THBC group had the highest counts with a range of 1.2-20.8cfu/plate/mins along the distances at 15minutes, 2.7-21.4cfu/plate/mins at 30minutes and 3.5-21.8cfu/plate/mins at 45minutes. While in Okigwe, THBC which was also the highest had a range of 09-22.5 along the distances at 15minutes, 1.2-24.8cfu/plate/mins at 30minutes and 1.0-4.0cfu/plate/mins at 45 minutes. Bacteria isolated were Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Proteus and Streptococcus species while the fungi isolated were Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium Mucor and Rhizopus Species. Temperature, particulate matter and microbial counts were highest during the dry season, while relative humidity was highest during the rainy season respectively. It was observed that as time increased along the distances examined, microbial load also increased. The aero-microbiology of the farms studied showed that the air contained presence of bacteria and fungi of medical importance in both seasons, hence, there is the need to always ensure proper management and evaluation of poultry farms to avoid micro-organisms from exceeding their permissive limits.

Iko River estuary: Oil exploration and the microbial community shift

The continuous input of petroleum-based and other industrial pollutants along with heightened navigational activities in the inland and coastal waters of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria has contributed tremendously towards petroleum pollution of the aquatic environment. Standard analytical methods were employed in sample collection and analysis. The results showed the mean values of Total Heterotrophic Bacteria [THB] for tidal water 1.44±0.20 (x107), 1.42±0.62 (x107)and 1.82±0.61 (x107)for upstream, midstream and downstream respectively, while the mean values for CUB 1.06±0.12 (x106), 1.30±0.54 (x106) and 1.28±0.46 (x106) for upstream, midstream and downstream respectively. Similarly, the mean values for Total Fungi (TF) and Crude oil-Utilizing Fungi (CUF) were 1.08±0.12 (x106), 1.12±0.21 (x106), 1.18±0.20 (x106) and 8.2±0.78 (x104), 9.2±0.20 (x104), 8.8±0.26 (x104) for upstream, midstream and downstream respectively. For intertidal water, the mean values obtained for upstream, midstream and downstream were 1.24±0.82 (x107), 1.77±0.57 (x107) and 1.40±0.32 (x107) for THB, 1.08±0.92 (x106), 1.08±0.22 (x106) and1.13±0.21 (x106) for CUB, 1.00±0.60 (x107), 1.26±0.30 (x106) and 1.11±0.18 (x106) for Total fungi [TF] and 7.2±0.81 (x104), 9.6±0.4 (x104), 9.0±0.27 (x104) for CUF). While the values for benthic sediment were 1.55±0.38 (x108), 1.68±0.32 (x108), 2.24±0.34 (x108) for THB, 1.14±0.32 (x107), 1.24±0.88 (x107), 1.48±0.90 (x107) for CUB, 1.12±0.31 (x107), 1.20±0.52 (x107), 1.40±0.16 (x107) for TF and 8.2±0.12 (x105), 6.2±0.43 (x105), 1.01±0.12 (x106) for CUF. The results showed that there was no significant difference (p> 0.05) in the mean values of each physicochemical parameter across the different microhabitats and stations. This result revealed the massive impacts of anthropogenic gradients on the biology and physicochemistry of Iko River estuary.

Tropical Wetland Earthworm Vermifluid Promotes Mitotic Activities and Root Growth in Allium cepa at low concentrations

It is well established that earthworms and their products promote plant growth and improve crop yield, but more information about their mechanisms of action, especially at cellular level, is required. This study assessed the enzyme and bacterial activities of vermifluid secreted by a tropical wetland earthworm, Alma millsoni. The effects of the vermifluid on the mitotic activities and root growth of Allium cepa (onions) were evaluated. Vermifluid enzyme and bacterial activities were assessed using standard procedures. Mitotic activities were evaluated using the Allium assay squash technique. Root lengths in onions grown in graduated dilutions of vermifluid were measured using a metre rule. Phosphatase had the highest activity (39.00 ± 3.70 units/ml/min) in the vermifluid, followed by urease (4.90 ± 0.18 units/ml/min), protease (3.20 ± 0.28 units/ml/min), amylase (1.40 ± 0.09 units/ml/min) and lipase (0.001 ± 0.00 units/ml/min). The total microbial count (TBC) and total fungi count (TFC) in the vermifluid were 6.0 × 104 CFU/ml and 2.4 × 105 CFU/ml, respectively. Results also indicated that the lower the vermifluid concentrations, the higher the number of dividing cells and mitotic index in onion roots. Onion roots grown in 10% vermifluid had the highest significant (P < 0.05) root growth of 2.65 ± 0.30 cm, 4.01 ± 0.61 cm, and 4.54 ± 0.62 cm, at 12-hour, 24-hour, and 72-hour exposure period, respectively. The inverse relationships between onion mitotic activities, root growth and vermifluid concentrations imply that the growth-promoting enzymes and other products in vermifluid stimulate cellular root growth better in small concentrations. Keywords: Alma millsoni, earthworm fluid, enzymes, microbial activities, mitosis, phosphatase.

Microbial Quality Assessment and Efficacy of Low-Cost Disinfectants on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Collected from Urban Areas of Dhaka, Bangladesh

This study aimed to examine the total viable bacteria (TVBC); total coliform (TCC); fecal coliform (TFC); pathogenic Pseudomonas spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and total fungi (TF); and the effect of different low-cost disinfectants (sterile water, salt water, blanched, and vinegar) in decontamination of 12 types of fruit and 10 types of vegetables. In fruit samples, the lowest TVBC was enumerated at 3.18 ± 0.27 log CFU/g in Indian gooseberry and the highest at 6.47 ± 0.68 log CFU/g in guava. Staphylococci (2.04 ± 0.53–5.10 ± 0.02 log CFU/g), Pseudomonas (1.88 ± 0.03–5.38 ± 0.08 log CFU/g), and total fungi (2.60 ± 0.18–7.50 ± 0.15 log CFU/g) were found in all fruit samples; however, no Salmonella was detected in fruit samples. Similarly, the lowest TVBC recorded 5.67± 0.49 log CFU/g in cucumber and the highest 7.37 ± 0.06 log CFU/g in yard long bean. The Staphylococci (3.48 ± 0.13–4.81 ± 0.16 log CFU/g), Pseudomonas (3.57± 0.21– 4.75 ± 0.23 log CFU/g), TCC (1.85 ± 1.11–56.50 ± 37.14 MPN/g), TFC (1.76 ± 0.87– 3.78 ± 3.76 MPN/g), and TF (3.79 ± 0.18–4.40 ± 0.38 log CFU/g) were recorded in all vegetables samples, but no Salmonella was detected in yard long bean, pointed gourd, carrot, tomato, cucumber, or brinjal. However, vinegar showed the highest microbial load reduction of selected fruit and vegetables among the different treatments. With vinegar treatment, the highest reduction of TVBC (1.61-log) and TF (2.54-log) was observed for fruits, and TVBC (2.31-log) and TF (2.41-log) for vegetables. All the disinfectant treatments resulted in significant (p < 0.01) bacterial load reduction compared to control for the studied fruits and vegetable samples.