Aeromonas species are bacterial pathogens that cause significant economic losses in the aquaculture industry worldwide. They are widely distributed in aquatic environments and cause several diseases in both humans and aquatic animals. The presence of various virulent Aeromonas spp. in aquatic environments predisposes infections in aquatic animals and humans. Concern about the transfer of pathogens from fish to humans also increased with the substantial increase in seafood consumption. Aeromonas spp. are also primary human pathogens that cause local and systemic infections, both in immunologically compromised and immunologically competent hosts. The most common Aeromonas spp. causing infections in aquatic animals and humans are A. hydrophila, A. salmonicida, A. caviae, and A. veronii biotype sobria. The ability of Aeromonas spp. to produce a variety of virulence factors enhances their pathogenic ability. Literature has supplied evidence for the presence of various virulence factors, including proteases, enterotoxins, hemolysin, and toxin genes of Aeromonas spp. in aquatic environments. The high prevalence of Aeromonas spp. in the aquatic environment is also a threat to public health. Because the Aeromonas spp. infections in humans are generally the result of ingestion or exposure to contaminated food and water. This review summarizes the recently published information on various virulence factors and virulence genes of Aeromonas spp. isolated from various aquatic environments, including seawater, freshwater, wastewater, and drinking water. It is also intended to highlight the risks associated with Aeromonas species' virulence properties for both aquaculture and public health.
Keywords: Aeromonas spp; aquaculture; aquatic environments; public health; virulence genes.
© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Applied Microbiology International.