Aim: This present study was conducted to optimize mycological media using agro waste for the production of antimicrobial substance. Place and Duration of Study: Agro waste (sugarcane and sweet potato, sugarcane and jack fruit) collected within Anambra state between February- August 2019. Methodology: Sugarcane and sweet potato (AMSSP), sugarcane and jack fruit (AMSJ) were peeled and the peels were air-dried and then ground into powdered form. 10 g each of the agro waste samples was weighed into 400 ml of distilled water in 1000 ml Erlenmeyer flask and allowed for 7 days, after which the mixture was filtered. Then 200 ml of the filtrate was used. The experimental conditions were optimized by using agro wastes (20/80 and 50/50 concentrations) as a culture medium, altering the temperature (30ºC and 37ºC), pH (5, 6, 7, 8, and 9), as well as the carbon and nitrogen source (glucose and NaNO3). The fungi used were Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fischeri, Aspergillus aculeatus and Aspergillus fumigatus. Results:  Various agro wastes medium AMSSP and AMSJ were formulated as mycological media and the growth and nutritional conditions were optimized to ascertain antimicrobial substance production using some fungal isolates. Based on different concentrations Aspergillus fumigatus showed a promising zone of inhibition on AMSSP at a concentration of 20/80 while in AMSJ the concentration the 50/50 showed a maximum zone of inhibition on Aspergillus fumigatus ascertaining the presence of antimicrobial substance. AMSSP was able to produce maximum antimicrobial substance when supplemented with 1.0% glucose, 1.0% NaNO3 at pH 7 and at temperature of 30 ± 2ºC. Conclusion: Agro wastes from AMSSP as well as from AMSJ contain nutrients that may support fungal growth. Maximum antimicrobial substance production is enhanced when supplemented with 1.0% of the carbon and nitrogen source at a pH of 7 and at a temperature of 30 ± 2ºC.

Infections caused by Salmonella enterica remains a major public health concern worldwide, contributing to the economic burden of both industrialized and underdeveloped countries through the costs associated with surveillance, prevention and treatment of disease. This was a cross-sectional study conducted between October – December, 2021 in which the detection of Salmonella enterica by stool culture was carried out on sixty (60) apparently healthy students screened for Salmonella agglutinin by widal agglutination test. The susceptibility of the Salmonella isolates to commonly used antibiotics was carried out by disc diffusion method. The result showed that 52 (82.7%) subjects were found to be widal positive with at least one of the tested antigens. From these, 26 (86.7%) each were recorded among male and female students respectively. The most common Salmonella agglutinin detected in both male and female belong to the Paratyphi serovar. However, the percentage of the positive titres, 1:320 and 1:160 in both males (p=0.139). and females (p =0.382) were not significantly different. Salmonella enterica was isolated in 11(42.3%) males and 7(26.9%) females, with a combined prevalence of 18(34.6%). For male subjects, Salmonella enterica was more susceptible to ciprofloxacin (81.8%) and ofloxacin (81.8%) and least to nalidixic acid (45.5%). For female gender, Salmonella enterica enterica exhibits multidrug resistance phenotype, accounting for the prevalence of 64.7%. From these, the MDR phenotype was more in female than male but with no statistical difference (P=0.569). The findings of this study established that Salmonella agglutinins are common among apparently healthy. It also shows the limitations of widal agglutination test, since Salmonella species could not be isolated in all the subjects whose sera were widal positive.