Antibiotic-resistance in Motile Aeromonas spp. of Indian Major Carps Sold in Retail Markets of Peri-urban Kolkata, India

ABSTRACT

Motile Aeromonas spp. are responsible for several diseases and pathological conditions in fish as well as gastrointestinal diseases in human. The present study aimed at isolating motile aeromonads from the retail market carps of peri-urban Kolkata and assessing their potential threats in terms of antibiotic-resistance. Among the 71 motile aeromonad strains isolated, Aeromonas caviae (36) and A. hydrophila (31) were dominant. The strains were tested for their susceptibility to 12 broad-spectrum antibiotics. Resistance to cefalexin, amoxyclav and nitrofurantoin were the highest. The least resistance was demonstrated against the ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, co-trimoxazole, sulfafurazole and trimethoprim. Majority of the motile aeromonads (74.29–94.44%) were of the multiple antibiotic-resistant (MAR) group. The MAR index was in the range of 0.33–1.00. Antibiotic-resistance profiling unveiled 29 diverse profiles among the motile aeromonads. The high frequency of MAR motile aeromonads in retail carps and their spread through the food chain are serious threats to public health.

KEYWORDS:

• Antibiotic-resistance
• Indian major carps
• motile aeromonads
• multiple antibiotic resistance
• retail market

Acknowledgments

The work was supported by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Government of India, New Delhi under the All India Network Project on Fish Health (Grant F. No. CIBA/AINP-FH/2015-16 dated 02.06.2015). The authors thank the Vice-Chancellor, West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences, Kolkata for providing necessary facilities to carry out the work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).