Author(s): Amal S Al-Sheraa, Khaled Kh Al-Khafaji and Ghazi Maleh Al-Maleki

Abstract: The present study was carried out to determine the seasonal occurrence and distribution of microbial diversity of pathogenic bacteria population present in mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis (H. Milne Edwards, 1853). Samples of crabs were collected during 2017, from the intertidal zones of Khor Al-Zubair canal in two seasons by hand under stones close to collection site. A total of 24 bacterial isolates consisting five different bacterial strains such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Aeromonas sp., Klebsiella pneumoniae and Bacillus subtilis were isolated from gills, shells and muscle tissues of mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis. Microbial species were characterized based on morphological and biochemical tests. The percentage composition of each bacterial species was recorded in different tissues of crab samples, E. coli (35%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (32%) are dominant among other species in crab shells and gills, respectively. Klebsiella pneumoniae (27%) and Bacillus subtilis (18%) are dominant among other species. In crab muscles, Bacillus subtilis (33%) and E. coli (28%) is dominant among other species. Shells and gills of crab samples showed higher number of bacterial species than muscles tissues. The results of this study clearly indicate that edible crabs are contaminated with coliforms and other pathogenic microorganisms.

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