SummaryThis study was conducted to determine the prevalence rate and antimicrobial resistance of Aeromonas hydrophila in fish, shrimp, lobster and crab caught off the south coast of Iran. A total of 541 samples including, 133 freshly caught fish of 4 different types including Otollithes ruber, Pamous argenteus, Parastromateus niger and Psettodes erumel, 240 shrimp of 4 different species including Penaeus monodon, P. semisulcatus, P. indicus, and P. merguiensis, 108 lobster (Panulirus homarus) and 60 crab (Panulirus homarus) were collected in 3 provinces along Persian Gulf in the south coast of Iran. Samples were collected at the end of each month from September 2011 to May 2012. Using conventional bacteriological techniques, 66 A. hydrophila isolates were identified in which 62 strains were confirmed by PCR assay targeting 16S rDNA gene of A. hydrophila. Using PCR assays targeting the A. hydrophila cytolytic enterotoxin gene, 57 (10.5%) isolates were positive. The highest prevalence of A. hydrophila was found in fish (19.5%), followed by shrimp (9.2%), lobster (9.3%) and crab (6.7%). The highest prevalence of A. hydrophila occurred in summer (21.3%) followed by fall (12.0%), spring (10.8%), and winter (5.6%). To our knowledge, the present study is the first report of the isolation of A. hydrophila from fish, shrimp, lobster and crab in Iran. A. hydrophila sitotoksik enterotoksin gen hedefi ile uygulanan PCR metodu ile 57 (%10.5) izolat pozitif olarak tespit edilmiştir. A. hydrophila prevalansı en yüksek olarak balıklarda (%19.5), sonrasında ise sırasıyla ıstakozlarda (%9.3), karideslerde (%9,2) ve yengeçlerde (%6.7) belirlenmiştir. Mevsimsel olarak en yüksek A. hydrophila prevalansı yaz ayında (%21.3) olurken bunu sırasıyla sonbahar (%12.0), ilkbahar (%10.8) ve kış (%5.6) izledi. Bizim bilgimiz kapsamında bu çalışma İran'da balık, karides, ıstakoz ve yengeçlerde A. hydrophila izolasyonunun rapor edildiği ilk çalışmadır.
Keywords
