Bacteriological Assessment of African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) Isolated from Earthen and .....

The aim of this study is to compare the bacteria load in African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) from Earthen and Concrete Fish Ponds. The African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) is a common culture fish and a delicacy among Africans. The two types of ponds used in fish farming in West Africa are concrete ponds and earthen ponds. A concrete pond is a pond built with bricks (plastered) or tanks, while an earthen pond is a water body surrounded by soil. Clarias gariepinus was collected from Adekunle Ajasin University's earthen and concrete ponds in Akungba–Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria. For the purposes of this study, the fish were harvested and eviscerated, and various organs of the fish were collected. The streaking process of cultural media was used to isolate bacteria. Gram staining, morphological, and cultural characteristics were used to characterise bacterial isolates in the preliminary stage. Various biochemical tests (Catalase, Citrate, Indole, Oxidase test, Starch hydrolysis, Urease, and Sugar fermentation) and Bergey's manual Microbiology were used to further characterise the samples. Bacillus subtilis was found to be the most commonly distributed bacteria isolate in Clarias gariepinus in the concrete pond (8 percent ) Staphylococcus aureus (9.5%), Alcaligenes xylosidans (4.7%), Alcaligenes paradoxus (4.7%), Acinetobacter calcoa ceticus (4.7%), Pseudomonas putida (4.7%), Bacillus cereus (23.8%), Citrobacter amalonaticus (9.5%), Acinetobacter baumannii (4.7%), Listeria grayi (9.5%), (4.7 percent ) in the meantime The most commonly distributed bacteria isolates in Clarias gariepinus earthen pond is Enterococcus gallinarum (4.0 percent), Streptococcus uberis (8.0 percent), and Micrococcus luteus (4.0 percent). Marinococcus halophilus (4.0%), Enterobacter aerogenes (4.0%), Micrococcus lylae (4.0%), Alcaligenes faecalis (4.0%), Enterococcus molodoratus (4.0%), Enterococcus gallinarum (4.0%) (8.0 percent ), Micrococcus halobius, and Micrococcus halobius (4.0 percent ). The concrete pond had the highest viable colony counts (5.6 104 for C. gariepinus) and the earthen pond had the highest viable colony counts (6.3 104). The highest value of 4.730.81a is found in the alimentary canal of fish in a concrete pond, while the lowest value is found in the fish body (3.530.99). The highest value (4.331.15a) and lowest value (2.201.2a) were found in fish water in an earthen pond. It can be concluded that the species isolated from C. gariepinus in this study have the potential to become pathogenic and pose a serious health risk to fish farmers and the general public, especially those who eat catfish. Please see the link : - https://www.journalajbgmb.com/index.php/AJBGMB/article/view/30143