Virulent Aeromonas hydrophila (vAh) is a major bacterial pathogen in the U.S. catfish industry and is responsible for large-scale losses within commercial ponds. Administering antibiotic feeds can effectively treat vAh infections, but it is imperative to discern new approaches and better understand the mechanics of infection for this bacterium. As such, the persistence of vAh in pond sediments was determined by conducting laboratory trials using sediment from four commercial catfish ponds. Twelve chambers contained sterilized sediment, vAh isolate ML-09-119, and 8 L of water maintained at 28 °C and were aerated daily. At 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 days, and every 7th day post-inoculation for 28 days, 1 g of sediment was removed, and vAh colony forming units (CFU) were enumerated on ampicillin dextrin agar. Viable vAh colonies were present in all sediments at all sampling periods. The vAh growth curve peaked (1.33 ± 0.26 × 109 CFU g-1) at 96 h post-inoculation. The population plateaued between days 14 and 28. No correlations were found between CFU g-1 and physiochemical sediment variables. This study validated the ability of vAh to persist within pond sediments in a laboratory setting. Further research on environmental factors influencing vAh survivability and population dynamics in ponds is needed.
Keywords: abiotic factors; intensive aquaculture; persistence; sediment accumulation; soil microbiology; versatility.