Fungal cellulases are well-studied enzymes and are used in various industrial processes. Much of the knowledge of enzymatic depolymerization of cellulosic material has come from Trichoderma cellulase system. Species of Trichoderma can produce substantial amounts of endoglucanase and exoglucanase but very low levels of b-glucosidase. This deficiency necessitates screening of fungi for cellulytic potential. A number of indigenously isolated fungi were screened for cellulytic potential. In the present study, the kinetics of cellulase production from an indigenous strain of Aspergillus niger MS82 is reported. Product formation parameters of endoglucanase and beta-glucosidase (Qp + Y(p/s)) indicate that A.niger MS82 is capable of producing moderate to high levels of both endoglucanase and beta-glucosidase when grown on different carbon containing natural substrates, for example, grass, corncob, bagasse along side purified celluloses. Furthermore, it was observed that the production of endoglucanase reaches its maximum during exponential phase of growth, while b-glucosidase during the Stationary phase. Enzyme production by solid-state fermentation was also investigated and found to be promising.Highest production of cellulase was noted at pH 4.0 at 35 degrees C under submerged conditions. Growth and enzyme production was affected by variations in temperature and pH.

BackgroundExtensive use of antibiotics as growth promoters in the livestock industry constitutes strong selection pressure for evolution and selection of antibiotic resistant bacterial strains. Unfortunately, the microbial ecology and spread of these bacteria in the agricultural, urban, and suburban environments are poorly understood. Insects such as house flies (Musca domestica) and German cockroaches (Blattella germanica) can move freely between animal waste and food and may play a significant role in the dissemination of antibiotic resistant bacteria within and between animal production farms and from farms to residential settings.ResultsEnterococci from the digestive tract of house flies (n = 162), and feces of German cockroaches (n = 83) and pigs (n = 119), collected from two commercial swine farms were isolated, quantified, identified, and screened for antibiotic resistance and virulence. The majority of samples (93.7%) were positive for enterococci with concentrations 4.2 ± 0.7 × 104 CFU/house fly, 5.5 ± 1.1 × 106 CFU/g of cockroach feces, and 3.2 ± 0.8 × 105 CFU/g of pig feces. Among all the identified isolates (n = 639) Enterococcus faecalis was the most common (55.5%), followed by E. hirae (24.9%), E. faecium (12.8%), and E. casseliflavus (6.7%). E. faecalis was most prevalent in house flies and cockroaches, and E. hirae was most common in pig feces. Our data showed that multi-drug (mainly tetracycline and erythromycin) resistant enterococci were common from all three sources and frequently carried antibiotic resistance genes including tet(M) and erm(B) and Tn916/1545 transposon family. E. faecalis frequently harbored virulence factors gelE, esp, and asa1. PFGE analysis of selected E. faecalis and E. faecium isolates demonstrated that cockroaches and house flies shared some of the same enterococcal clones that were detected in the swine manure indicating that insects acquired enterococci from swine manure.ConclusionsThis study shows that house flies and German cockroaches in the confined swine production environment likely serve as vectors and/or reservoirs of antibiotic resistant and potentially virulent enterococci and consequently may play an important role in animal and public health.

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