ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY PATTERNS OF AEROMONAS HYDROPHILA FROM SEAFOOD SOURCES FROM FISH MARKET IN TUTICORIN, SOUTH EAST COAST OF INDIA
Immaculate Jeyasanta*, M. Narmatha Sathish and Jamila Patterson
ABSTRACT
The investigation was carried out to ascertain the incidence of Aeromonas hydrophila, an emerging human
pathogen in the seafood. For this, totally seventy three seafood samples such as fish, prawn, crab, and cephalopods
were collected from local fish markets of Tuticorin, Southeast coast of India and the samples processed and plated
on to different Aeromonas isolation medium. The typical colonies were then confirmed as A.hydrophila by
biochemical tests. They were gram-negative, rod-shaped, motile bacteria that showed a positive reaction for
oxidase and catalase, fermented glucose and growth of each isolate at different temperature and NaCl. The study
revealed that 34.32% of the fish samples, 20.89% of the prawn, 17% of crab and 13% of cephalopods were
contaminated with Aeromonas hydrophila. Thus, the study indicates that unsafe water, poor sanitation,
unhygienically processed seafood products can harbor foodborne pathogens. All the A.hydrophila isolates were
tested against 16 different antibiotics and the results showed that all the isolates were 100% resistant to bacitracin,
penicillin, ampicillin, and erythromycin. The resistant to other antibiotics appear to chloramphenicol (46.26%),
oxytetracycline (38.8%), doxycycline (35.82%), rifampicin (28.35%), kanamycin (25.37%) and tetracycline
(13.43%). These results demonstrated that the presence of virulent food born Aeromonas hydrophila in seafood
with antibiotic-resistant in Tuticorin seafood markets. The increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics has become
a public health problem due to the fact that bacteria can be found seafood because it is the most efficient food item
for protein supply to human beings. The occurrence of the Aeromonas hydrophila found in the in the seafood
products raises hygiene and safety questions and the need for public health awareness and consciousness in this
regard.
Keywords: Aeromonas hydrophila, antimicrobial susceptibility, antibiotics, seafood’s.
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