Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Bacterial Organisms in Raw Fish of Pond and Retail Market

Abstract

Current study aimed to explore the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility profile of bacterial organisms isolated from fish samples. A total of 120 fish samples were collected from fish retail market and ponds (60 from each source) comprising of three fish species i.e., Labeo rohita (LR; local name Rohu), Catla catla (CC; local name Thaila) and Cirrhinus mrigala (CM; local name Morakhi). The samples were processed for isolation of bacterial organisms using conventional culture method and isolates were tested for antimicrobial sensitivity according to CLSI method. According to results, the prevalence of bacterial organisms was high (p < 0.05) in CC than CM and LR. E.coli were the most common organism in market and pond fish samples with occurrence of 86.6% and 66.6% respectively. Next most prevalent pathogens were Salmonella spp. ( 78.3% & 58.3%), Shigella flexneri (61.6% & 53.3%), Pseudomonas flavescens (55% & 53.3%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (40% & 35%), Staphylococcus aureus (33.3% & 25%), Streptococcus agalactiae (21.6% & 18.3%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (15% & 13.3%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (13.3% & 10%), Klebsiella oxytoca (10% & 8.3%), and Streptococcus pyogenes (6.6% & 1.6%) in market and pond fish samples respectively.According to antibiotic susceptibility tests, among 11 tested antimicrobials, S. agalactiae and S. pyogenes were found resistant to 9 antibiotics; followed by P. aeruginosa and P. flavescens 8; S. flexneri 7; K. oxytoca and S. epidermidis 6; and E.coli, Salmonella spp., K. pneumoniae and S. aureus 4 antibiotics. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that market fishes are more contaminated than pond fishes. The occurrence of bacterial organisms was highest in CC than CM and LR. Moreover, all bacterial isolates were recorded as multi drug resistant, they were found resistant to at least four antimicrobial agents.

Assessment of the Implementation of Pakistan’s National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance in the Agriculture and Food Sectors

“…Information on AMR prevalence in the plant, aquaculture, and environmental sectors is relatively limited. Still, sporadic studies reported high rates of multidrug-resistant bacteria in fish [ 44 , 45 , 46 ], and consistently higher resistance rates to commonly used antibiotics in soil Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates within 25 m of poultry farms [ 47 ]. Notably, AMR surveillance activities in different sectors were reported by the assessors as mostly operated in silos with limited cross-sectoral collaboration.…”

“…In 2022, Pakistan embarked on a national consultative process for the development of antimicrobial prescribing guidelines for livestock, although these guidelines had not been finalized by the time of the assessment. The growing aquaculture industry in Pakistan also fuels an increased reliance on antimicrobials to prevent and treat diseases [ 15 , 46 ]. National guidelines for AMU in this sector had not been developed at the time of the assessment.…”