Abstract
This study aimed to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of bacteria isolated from retail fish and shrimp in Tanzania. A total of 92 fish and 20 shrimp samples were analyzed. Fish samples consisted of 24 Nile tilapia, 24 Nile perch, and 24 red snapper. The isolates were identified by their morphological characteristics, conventional biochemical tests, and analytical profile index test kits. The antibiotic susceptibility of selected bacteria was determined by the disc diffusion method. Out of the 92 samples analyzed, 96.7% were contaminated with 7 different bacterial species. E. coli was the most prevalent bacteria (39%), followed by Klebsiella spp. (28%) and Salmonella spp. (16%). Other species isolated from this study were Staphylococcus spp. (8%), Citrobacter (4%), Shigella spp. (3%), and Pseudomonas spp. (1%). All samples were analyzed for Campylobacter spp.; however, none of the samples tested were positive for Campylobacter spp. Fish from the open-air market were contaminated by six bacterial species: E. coli (40%), Klebsiella spp. (26%), Salmonella spp. (24%), Shigella spp. (6.7%), Citrobacter spp. (6.5%), and Pseudomonas spp. (2%), while E. coli (37%), Klebsiella spp. (33%), Staphylococcus spp. (23%), and Shigella spp. (2%) were isolated in supermarket samples. According to the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods criteria, 54 (58.7%) and 38 (41.3%) samples were good and marginally acceptable, respectively. E. coli isolates were resistant to penicillin (PEN), erythromycin (ERY), gentamicin (GEN), azithromycin (AZM), and tetracycline (TET), while Salmonella spp. isolates exhibited resistance to gentamicin (CN), tetracycline (TET), penicillin (PEN), and erythromycin (ERY). These results suggest that the presence of these bacteria might cause a health risk/hazard to human beings and may cause disease to susceptible individuals, especially immune-compromised consumers.
Highlights
IntroductionFish are a vital source of food for people and are the most important source of high-quality protein
Poor fish handling, processing, and packaging methods and practices in retail markets are still common in Tanzania [14]. ere are limited studies on the prevalence of bacteria isolated from retail fish and shrimps in Tanzania. e risk of getting foodborne diseases or food poisoning by fish consumers and handlers may be high in Tanzania. erefore, this study investigates the prevalence of bacteria isolated from retail fish and shrimps in Tanzania
Samples from the supermarket have a lower Total Viable Count (TVC) at 3.77 log CFU/g compared to samples from the open-air market (4.99 log CFU/g)
Summary
Fish are a vital source of food for people and are the most important source of high-quality protein. Fish provide approximately 16% of the animal protein consumed by the world’s population [1]. Apart from being a rich source of protein, fish play a unique role in providing a range of micronutrients and essential fatty acids, especially long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, which cannot be substituted by other food commodities [4, 5]. Despite these numerous advantages of fish, they are susceptible to a wide variety of bacterial pathogens, most of which can cause disease and are considered by some to be saprophytic in nature [1]. Fish and fishery products are known to be sources of transmitting foodborne infections and intoxication if not properly handled/processed [6]
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