Prevalence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with multi-drug resistance and biofilm-forming ability in fresh-water fish

Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a potential public health threat due to their resistant nature to antibiotics. The present study was conducted to detect the prevalence of antibiotic resistance and biofilm genes in P. aeruginosa isolated from freshwater fish. A total of fifty (N=50) samples were collected from gills (N=32) and skin (N=18) of freshwater fish. By sample’s processing for the isolation of P. aeruginosa on Pseudomonas isolation agar, 25 samples from gills and 6 samples from skin were phenotypically positive as they produced characteristic green colour pigment and were molecularly confirmed as P. aeruginosa using species-specific 16S rRNA primers by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). On performing invitro antibiotic sensitivity test, 100% resistance was observed to aztreonam, ceftriaxone, co-trimoxazole, gentamicin, enrofloxacin, ampicillin, tetracycline and streptomycin. The genetic detection of the Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) genes revealed the presence of blaOXA (90.3%), blaSHV (64.5%) and blaTEM (19.3%). Biofilm gene studies targeting pslA and ppyR genes of P. aeruginosa revealed their detection in 80.64% and 96.77% of the isolates, respectively. Thus it is of public health importance as fish is an excellent source of protein and omega -3 fatty acids, proper food safety measures must be ensured for its consumption.