Author(s)

Chinenye U. Ezebialu¹, Ikechukwu B. Awuribeh², Ebere M. Eze³, Chigoziri T. Ogu¹, Uchechukwu G. Nwankwo⁴, Ruth Asikiya Afunwa^5*

¹Department of Applied Microbiology and Brewing, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria.
²Department of Biological Sciences, Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria.
³Department of Microbiology, Novena University, Ogume, Delta State, Nigeria.
⁴Department of Microbiology, Renaissance University, Ugbawka, Enugu State, Nigeria.
⁵Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Anambra State, Nigeria.

This study was designed to screen and characterize antibiotic producing bacteria and fungi from soil samples from a waste dump site in Enugu. The molecular characterization of the isolates was performed by using Zymo Research Quick-DNA fungi/bacteria miniprep kit. The bacteria isolates were Providencia stuartii, Providencia alcalifaciens. Bacillus sp., Streptococcus sp., Micrococcus sp., and Staphylococcus sp while Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger were fungal isolates. The efficacy of the Crude Extract (CE) of the antibiotics produced was tested against species of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The CE of antibiotics when compared with a conventional antibiotic (Ciprofloxacin) showed lower antimicrobial activity. The minimum inhibitory concentration of the crude extracts ranged between 12.5% and 25% concentrations while the minimum bactericidal concentration ranged from 25% and 50% concentrations. The findings suggest that these organisms have the potential to produce antibiotics and could be harnessed by pharmaceutical industries for the production of newer antibiotics.

Antibiotics, Crude Extract, Ciprofloxacin, Soil Sample

Ezebialu, C. , Awuribeh, I. , Eze, E. , Ogu, C. , Nwankwo, U. and Afunwa, R. (2020) Screening and Characterization of Antibiotic Producing Organisms from Waste Dump Soil Sample. Advances in Microbiology, 10, 422-433. doi: 10.4236/aim.2020.109031.