Molecular Identification, Mycotoxin Detection and Antifungal Activity of Cassia fistula Against Fungal Strains Isolated from Livestock Feed

Abstract

Fungi have fundamental significance on the earth ecosystem. Many fungal species play significant role e.g. as decomposers, pathogenic for many plants and animals and are vital for nutrient recycling in terrestrial habitat. Livestock feed can be infected with broad varieties of microbes. Feed ingredients may be infected with microbes through different ways, either transmitted through soil inoculation, rain fall; mechanical blending or insect’s infection to the standing crops. For proper functioning and defense mechanism of animals, Quality of feed is compulsory. Thus it is very important to understand fungi in both morphological and molecular level. This study focused on molecular identification of livestock feed infecting fungal strains using PCR amplification approach. Five primers pairs; ITS1 & ITS4, ITS5 & ITS4, ITS3 &ITS4, ITS86F & ITS4, ITS1 & ITS86R were used in that research. The universal primer pair ITS1 & ITS4 were primarily utilized to amplify most of the samples, however, some isolates were successfully amplified through ITS86F and ITS4. Furthermore, Aflatoxins analysis of feed samples done through ELISA kit. Antifungal and antibacterial activity of characterized fungal isolates was checked on Cassia fistula plant extracts through wells diffusion method. The maximum zone of inhibition was shown by Cassia fistula Pods while acetone, water and ethanol extracts shows maximum activity.