Author(s): Omeje VO, Okolo CC and Eze DC

Abstract: This study investigated the pathogenicity and antibiotics sensitivity of Aeromonas hydrophila isolated from the Kainji Lake Area. Feral fishes were collected from sampling stations in the Lake Kainji using stratified random sampling and they included 240 Oreochromis niloticus, 120 Clarias gariepinus and 120 Heterotis niloticus while cultured 144 Oreochromis niloticus, 128 C. gariepinus and 128 H. niloticus were collected from 8 homestead fish farms within Kainji Lake area. A total of 18 A. hydrophila isolates proportionately and randomly selected were used to test for pathogenicity. The in vitro antibiotic susceptibility test of the isolates was determined using disc diffusion method. The pathogenicity of the isolates showed that 27.78% was virulent, 22.22% moderately virulent while 50% was avirulent strains of the A. hydrophila. Eighty percent (80%) of the virulent strains were isolated from cultured fish samples while 20% were from feral fishes. Isolates were most susceptible to gentamycin (73.3%), nitrifurantoin (66.7%), nalidixic acid (63.3%) and co-trimoxazole (53.3%) and most resistant to ampicillin (86.7%) and colistin (83.3%). Isolates from the cultured fishes were more resistant to antibiotic than the feral isolates. High percentage of antimicrobial resistance and emergence of multiple drug resistance among the A. hydrophila strains was observed.

Pages: 190-196  |  734 Views  161 Downloads

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