INFLUENCE OF WASTE NITROGEN AND CARBON SOURCES ON ANTIMICROBIAL PRODUCTION BY Pseudomonas fluorescens ISOLATES FROM SOIL AND WATER IN ZARIA, NIGERIA

ABBA KHALID ADBULLAHI¹,*, JOSEPH OLORUNMOLA EHINMIDU², MARYAM ADENIKE

SALAUDEEN³

Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

ABSTRACT

Antibiotics are one of the most significant and commercially used secondary metabolites derived from

microorganisms in the treatment of an array of infections. This study was aimed at determining the influence of

nitrogen sources in combination with waste carbon sources on the production of antimicrobial substances by

Pseudomonas fluorescens. The inhibitory activity of the antimetabolite from Pseudomonas fluorescens was studied

against Escherichia coli and Candida albicans inoculated in an appropriate media. The bacteria inoculum was

incubated at 37 °C for 18 h and at 30 °C for the fungal inoculum. Fermentation was carried out using yam peel,

cassava peel, and maize shaft as carbon sources and two nitrogen sources (groundnut cake and soya-beans

cake). Method of well diffusion was employed in the study of the antibacterial activity of the extract from the

fermentation broth. The zones of inhibition against the test organisms (Escherichia coli and Candida albicans),

which is a measure of antimicrobial activity, differed significantly when the sources of nitrogen in the fermentation

media was changed. The highest inhibitory zone was recorded for soya-beans cake/cassava peel (10.25±11.84 –

21.00±1.45 mm) against Escherichia coli and (20.00±0.00 – 27.25±3.40 mm) against Candida albicans. The

combination of soya-beans cake/yam peel in the fermentation medium produced maximum antimicrobial activity.

This result suggests that the use of appropriate carbon and nitrogen source can increase the efficacy of antibiotics

produced by a microorganism.

Email of correspondence: khalidabba90@yahoo.com

KEYWORDS: Pseudomonas fluorescens; Antimicrobial activity; Nutrient sources; Escherichia coli;

Candida albicans.