Characterization of Pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus Isolated From Fish Aquaculture of the Southwest Coastal Area of Bangladesh

Abstract

<i>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</i> is a major foodborne pathogen responsible for significant economic losses in aquaculture and a threat to human health. Here, we explored the incidence, virulence potential, and diversity of <i>V. parahaemolyticus</i> isolates from aquaculture farms in Bangladesh. We examined a total of 216 water, sediment, <i>Oreochromis niloticus</i> (tilapia), <i>Labeo rohita</i> (rui), and <i>Penaeus monodon</i> (shrimp) samples from the aquaculture system where 60.2% (130/216) samples were positive for <i>V. parahaemolyticus</i>. Furthermore, we identified 323 <i>V. parahaemolyticus</i> strains from contaminated samples, 17 of which were found positive for <i>trh</i>, a virulence gene. Four isolates out of the 17 obtained were able to accumulate fluid in the rabbit ileal loop assay. The correlation between the contamination of <i>V. parahaemolyticus</i> and environmental factors was determined by Pearson correlation. The temperature and salinity were significantly correlated (positive) with the incidence of <i>V. parahaemolyticus</i>. Most of the pathogenic isolates (94.1%) were found resistant to ampicillin and amoxicillin. O8: KUT was the predominant serotype of the potentially pathogenic isolates. ERIC-PCR reveals genetic variation and relatedness among the pathogenic isolates. Therefore, this region-specific study establishes the incidence of potential infection with <i>V. parahaemolyticus</i> from the consumption of tilapia, rui, and shrimp raised in farms in Satkhira, Bangladesh, and the basis for developing strategies to reduce the risk for diseases and economic burden.