Screening for antibacterial producing fungi species isolated from plant rhizosphere in Keffi, Nasarawa, State, Nigeria

Antibiotics were considered to be organic compounds produced by microorganisms which were toxic to other microorganism. This study is aimed at isolation and screening for antimicrobial producing fungi isolated from soil in Keffi. Standard microbiological method was used in isolation and screening for antimicrobial of activity of the crude extracts. Fungi were identified using lactophenol cotton blue stain, and view under x10 and x100 objective microscope lens. highest fungi were isolated from groundnut rhizosphere (58.3 %) and the least was from beans rhizosphere (25.0 %). The screening for antimicrobial producing fungi, isolate fgm8 shows activity against the test organism with 11.02+0.12mm inhibited zone against E. coli (5.33+10mm) against S. aureus and (9.03+0.03 mm) against C. albica. The antimicrobial activity of the fungi grow in complex medium with nitrogen sources showed different ranges of activity against the test organism were Rhizopus sp. only showed inhibition zone of 12.11+1.34 mm against C. albicans.  These fungi species should be used to develop starter culture that will be used in local food production, as they show high antimicrobial activity against some pathogenic bacteria that cause infection and food spoilage.