MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine Aeromonas spp. were isolated from infected catfish cultivated in Java, Indonesia, and they were identified at the phenotypic and molecular levels (16S rDNA). The virulence genes assessed included aer/haem, alt, ast, flaA, lafA, and fstA.
RESULTS: Phylogenetic analysis identified nine isolates of Aeromonas spp.: Aeromonas hydrophila (11.11%), Aeromonas caviae (11.11%), Aeromonas veronii bv. veronii (44.44%), and Aeromonas dhakensis (33.33%). Virulence genes, such as aer/haem, alt, ast, flaA, lafA, and fstA, were detected in all isolates at frequencies of approximately 100%, 66.67%, 88.89%, 100%, 55.56%, and 66.67%, respectively. This study is the first report on A. dhakensis recovered from an Indonesian catfish culture. Furthermore, our study revealed the presence of A. veronii bv veronii, a biovar that has not been reported before in Indonesia.
CONCLUSION: This finding confirms that MAS was caused by multiple species of Aeromonas, notably A. dhakensis and A. veronii bv veronii, within Indonesian fish culture. The presence of these Aeromonas species with multiple virulence genes poses a significant threat to the freshwater aquaculture industry.
Materials and Methods: A. hydrophila was biochemically identified and subjected to antibiotic susceptibility tests. The isolate was then intraperitoneally injected into red hybrid tilapia, and the mortality, clinicopathological changes, and LD50 were determined up to 240 h post-infection (hpi).
Results: The isolate demonstrated multiple antibiotic resistances (MAR) toward amikacin, ampicillin, cefotaxime, amoxicillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin, and streptomycin, with a MAR index of 0.5. The experimental infection of A. hydrophila at 105 CFU/mL in the red hybrid tilapia resulted in 100% mortality at 240 hpi. The LD50 was determined at 1.1×104 CFU/mL. Infected fish demonstrated occasional erratic swimming patterns, localized hemorrhages and depigmentation on the body and operculum areas, fin erosion, enlargement of the gall bladder, and hemorrhage in internal organs. Microscopic observation of infected fish revealed brain congestion, tubular necrosis, and glomerular shrinkage in the kidneys, necrosis of hepatocytes, and congestion of blood vessels in the liver.
Conclusion: The high virulence of A. hydrophila to the red hybrid tilapia emphasizes the importance of active, on-going monitoring of its prevalence in Malaysian tilapia farming.