Molecular Characterization of Fungi Associated with Pharmaceutical Products

• Published in: The FASEB journal 2020-04, Vol.34 (S1), p.1-1
• Main Authors: Oyebanji, Elizabeth Olawumi, Adekunle, Adeyinka Adedotun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aspergillus; Colony forming unit; Contamination; Drug design; Fungal identification; Fungal load
• ISSN: 0892-6638; 1530-6860
• DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.2020.34.s1.00281

Pharmaceuticals are medicinal products used in the prevention, treatment, and diagnosis of diseases. As such, the presence of microorganisms’ especially fungal toxins can reduce or eliminate the product’s therapeutic activity and constitute a potential danger to patient health. This study attempts to determine the fungal loads of liquid preparation used as medication in Lagos State and its environs and identify the fungal isolates. 252 different types of oral liquid drugs (200syrups and 52 suspensions) which included paracetamol syrup, cough syrup and antibiotics suspension manufactured in five different pharmaceutical industries in Nigeria were methodically sampled and analyzed for fungi contamination using standardized method. The isolated fungi were identified using morphological characterization as well as 16SrDNA sequencing. 13% of the sampled syrups were found to be contaminated with fungi where the colony forming units for paracetamol syrup, cough syrup and antibiotics suspension ranges from 2.0×101 – 9.6×104, 1.0×102–7.5×104 and 1.0×101–8.8×104cfu/ml respectively while 87% yielded no growth. Thirteen (13) morphologically different species of fungi were identified which included Aspergillus niger strains, A. tamari strains, A. japonicas, A. flavus, A. awamari, A. ellipticus, A. tubingensis, Meyerozyma caaribbica, Candida carpophila and Eurotiomycetes spp. The presence of microorganisms in oral liquid samples might explain the treatment complicacy of the diseased children. Therefore, microbiological quality of such drugs is thus suggested.