Vibrio is the most common bacterium associated with diseases in crustaceans. Outbreaks of vibriosis pose a serious threat to shrimp production. Therefore, antibiotics are commonly used as preventative and therapeutic measures. Unfortunately, improper use of antibiotics leads to antibiotic resistance. Nevertheless, information on the occurrence of Vibrio spp. and antibiotic use in shrimp, particularly in Malaysia, is minimal. This study aimed to provide information on the occurrence of Vibrio spp., its status of antibiotic resistance and the plasmid profiles of Vibrio spp. isolated from cultured shrimp in Peninsular Malaysia. Shrimp were sampled from seven farms that were located in different geographical regions of Peninsular Malaysia. According to the observations, 85% of the shrimp were healthy, whereas 15% were unhealthy. Subsequently, 225 presumptive Vibrio isolates were subjected to biochemical tests and molecular detection using the pyrH gene. The isolates were also tested for antibiotic susceptibility against 16 antibiotics and were subjected to plasmid profiling. Eventually, 13 different Vibrio spp. were successfully isolated and characterized using the pyrH gene. They were the following: V. parahaemolyticus (55%), V. communis (9%), V. campbellii (8%), V. owensii (7%), V. rotiferianus (5%), Vibrio spp. (4%), V. alginolyticus (3%), V. brasiliensis (2%), V. natriegens (2%), V. xuii (1%), V. harveyi (1%), V. hepatarius (0.4%) and P. damselae (3%). Antibiotic susceptibility profiles revealed that all isolates were resistant to penicillin G (100%), but susceptible to norfloxacin (96%). Furthermore, 16% of the isolates revealed MAR of less than 0.2, while 84% were greater than 0.2. A total of 125 isolates harbored plasmids with molecular weights between 1.0 and above 10 kb, detected among the resistant isolates. The resistant isolates were mediated by both chromosomal and plasmid factors. These findings support the use of surveillance data on the emerging patterns of antimicrobial-resistance and plasmid profiles of Vibrio spp. in shrimp farms. The findings from this study can be used to develop a better disease management strategy for shrimp farming.
Keywords: MAR index; Peninsular Malaysia; Vibrio spp.; antibiotics; plasmid.