ABSTRACT
Fishing is among the main economic activities of the people of Zanzibar. Few fish dealers are transforming this sector into mariculture. Among the farmed fish is milkfish. Diseases are among the limiting factors in the development of the mariculture industry. Among other zoonotic diseases, vibriosis is caused by bacteria from the genus Vibrio. This study aimed to establish the occurrence of Vibrio cholerae and Vibrio parahaemolyticus among milkfish farms in Zanzibar. A total of 380 milkfish were sampled. Swabs were collected from gills, intestine, and kidney of each sampled milkfish. Preliminary identification of V. cholerae and V. parahaemolyticus was done by biochemical tests. PCR was run on 16S rRNA, outer membrane protein W, and collagenase genes to confirm Vibrio species, V. cholerae, and V. parahaemolyticus respectively. Almost one-third (32.1%) of all sampled milkfish were found to contain targeted Vibrio; 18% and 29.5% of the sampled milkfish were positive for V. cholerae and V. parahaemolyticus respectively.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.