Multi-antibiotic resistant bacteria from Vietnamese climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) on fish farms in Ho Chi Minh City

Abstract

Introduction: The Vietnamese climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) is a farmed species with significant economic value that is extensively disseminated in numerous countries, including Vietnam. Antibiotic and antibacterial drugs have been abused in climbing perch aquaculture. These antibiotic-resistant bacteria and/or genes can result in negative effects on public health and the environment.

Materials and methods: The study collected samples of perch with suspicious signs of infection and isolated bacteria from the collected fish samples. Isolated bacteria were examined for morphological and biochemical characteristics and evaluated for their antibiotic resistance by antibiotic-immersed paper discs, sequencing methods, and phylogenetic tree analysis methods using Mega 11 software, model Kimura-2-parameter bootstrap 1,000 times, which was used to identify molecules by the 16S rRNA gene. 

Results: In this study, 14 bacterial colonies were identified in Vietnamese climbing perch collected from several fish farms in Ho Chi Minh City that had aberrant symptoms on the exterior and within their organs. These bacteria were then put through a series of biochemical experiments to determine their colony morphologies. Following that, gene sequencing was performed, and 4 bacterial strains were found with a high degree of similarity to the 16S rRNA, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa (99.7%), Aeromonas dhakensis (99.93%), Kosakonia sacchari (100%), and Edwardsiella ictaluri (99.44%).

Conclusions: 04 strains of sequenced bacteria with multi-antibiotic resistance status were detected in A. testudineus perch circulating in a fish farm in Ho Chi Minh City.