Identification and characterization of bacteria from freshwater fish, Labiobarbus leptocheilus.

Abstract

The risk of food bacteria infection and microbiological quality of waters are the major public health concern. There have been suggested that the bacterial flora of fish might reflect the bacteriological conditions of the water and it could be a potential indicator for pollution. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to isolate, to identify and to characterize of bacteria isolates from freshwater fish, Labiobarbus leptocheilus. Approximately all the bacterial isolates were able to grow on MacConkey and Nutrient agar. Based on Gram reaction, 100% of Gram-negative bacteria obtained, 82% were rod and the rest were cocci. The morphological and biochemical characteristics of isolates were determined by using macro, micromorphology and nine biochemical tests. Escherichia sp. shown the highest number reflected the warm­ blooded-animal-pollution level of the water. Besides Megasphaera sp., Pseudomonas sp. and Aeromonas sp., other faecal indicator bacteria from Enterobacteriaceae family (Shigella sp., Enterobacter sp., Klebsiella sp. and Citrobacter sp.) also detected. However, Proteus sp. shown the lowest number because it most frequently seen in urinary tract. The existence of coliform in fish was determined as an indication of passage through a polluted area and these results generally agree with previous reports.