Multiple Antibiotic Resistance-Coliform Bacteria in Some Selected Fish Farms of the Central Region of Ghana

Cynthia Ayefoumi Adinortey; Denis Worlanyo Aheto; Alex Asomeni Boateng; Rosemary Agbeko

doi:10.1155/2020/6641461

Multiple Antibiotic Resistance-Coliform Bacteria in Some Selected Fish Farms of the Central Region of Ghana

Scientifica (Cairo). 2020 Dec 4:2020:6641461. doi: 10.1155/2020/6641461. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Cynthia Ayefoumi Adinortey¹, Denis Worlanyo Aheto^{2

3}, Alex Asomeni Boateng², Rosemary Agbeko¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
² Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
³ Centre for Coastal Management (Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience), University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.

Abstract

This study aimed at assessing the quality of water and fishery products as well as the antibiotic resistance status of some selected fish farms of the Central Region of Ghana. Interview guides were administered to farmers to get data on farming practices and antibiotic use. Total coliform loads of catfish (Clarias gariepinus), tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), and water samples were determined. Coliforms were identified through various biochemical assays, and their antibiotic resistance patterns were determined. Generally, the total coliform loads of water samples significantly surpassed those of fish samples (p < 0.05). The maximum and minimum antibiotic resistance percentages were recorded for ampicillin (96.83%) and gentamicin (6.35%), respectively. Although farmers stated that antibiotics were sparingly used, coliform bacteria isolated exhibited various antibiotic resistance patterns. Four out of six fish farms harboured some coliforms with multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) indices above 0.2, an indication that these bacteria originated from potentially dangerous sources where antibiotics are regularly used.