Prevalence of Antibiotic-Resistant Vibrio Isolated from Some Marketed Fish in Egypt with a Decontamination Trial by Lemon juice

Vibrio species are major sea foodborne pathogens that cause gastroenteritis as a serious disease of human public health due to the consumption of undercooked or raw fish. In the current study, a total of 100 fish samples (Nile tilapia, Nile perch, Meagre, and Sea bass) were collected randomly from retail markets in Egypt to investigate the prevalence of Vibrio species. The results revealed that Vibrio species isolated with an overall percentage of 52% of all examined fish. Bacteriological and chemical examinations revealed 42.3% V. parahaemolyticus, 26.92% V. mimicus, 19.23% V. alginolyticus, 9.62% V. vulnificus and 1.92%V. cholera. Antibiotic sensitivity declared high resistance of the isolates to different antimicrobial agents used in Egypt including Ampicillin (100%), Nalidixic acid (88.3%), Streptomycin (84.2%), Sulphamethoxazol (70.7%) and Oxytetracycline (64.8%) and it had sensitivity to Amikacin (94%), Ciprofloxacin (70.5%), Gentamicin (58.9%) with an average MAR index of 0.576. By polymerase chain reaction, all examined Vibrio isolates were positive for 16SrRNA specific for Vibrio spp. and harbored toxR gene virulence gene.  Finally, dipping of tilapia in lemon juice 5% for 2 h reduced V. parahaemolyticus count by 0.42log cfu/g (62.08%). Consequently, hygienic measures should be approved to control the contamination of fish in the markets and the aquatic environment. Regular monitoring of fish for antibiotic resistance by Vibrio species, and their molecular characterization is necessary to improve the safety of seafood. Dipping fish in lemon juice is an efficient strategy for reducing V. parahaemolyticus load in fish.