Abstract

FLORES, Byron et al. Identification of pathogenic bacteria in fishes caught in the Pacific off Nicaragua. Cienc. mar [online]. 2021, vol.47, n.3, pp.175-184.  Epub Dec 09, 2022. ISSN 0185-3880.  https://doi.org/10.7773/cm.v47i3.3212.

The aim of this study was to identify pathogenic bacteria in fishes from 4 communities on the western Pacific coast of Nicaragua. A total of 62 fishes were collected for microbiological analysis using muscle samples, which were inoculated on thiosulfate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose agar and trypticase soy agar. Bacterial identification was carried out by biochemical tests and tests of tolerance to different NaCl concentrations, and the Kirby-Bauer method was used to determine the bacterial resistance. The results revealed the presence of Vibrio metschnikovii in 30.64% (95% CI: 18.36-42.92) of the fish samples, while Salinivibrio costicola was detected in 22.58% (95% CI: 11.37-33.79) of the samples. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) were detected in 82.30% (95% CI: 71.94-92.57) of the samples. Species of the genus Vibrio were detected at a concentration of 3.9 × 103 CFU·g-1 in fish samples from the Las Peñitas community and 2.52 × 103 CFU·g-1 in samples from Poneloya, and these values were significantly higher (P = 0.003) than those found for samples from El Tránsito (5.25 × 102 CFU·g-1). Furthermore, 100% of the V. metschnikovii and S. costicola strains were resistant to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and sensitive to ciprofloxacin. The bacterial load for S. costicola is typical of marine environments and does not represent a health hazard. However, V. metschnikovii can be present in raw fish and it therefore represents a public health hazard, as do CoNS, which are indicators of anthropogenic contamination.

Keywords : fish; Vibrio; Nicaragua; Staphylococcus.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in English | Spanish     · English ( pdf ) | Spanish ( pdf )