Summer mortality syndrome bacterial pathogens in farmed Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

The high summer mortality in many fish farms, which had detrimental economic and social implications, was a serious challenge that the fish industry had to deal with.

With an examination of the most effective antibiotic, the ongoing research was intended to shed light on the identification of the main bacterial pathogens associated with the summer mortality syndrome in the diseased farmed Nile tilapia.

Six hundred dead Nile tilapia samples that had suffered from summer mortality were collected from several fish farms between May and October of 2022. The gathered fish displayed hemorrhagic areas on the skin, scale detachment, fin degeneration, erosions, skin ulcers, and corneal opacity with unilateral and/or bilateral exophthalmia. The most prominent internal appearance was swelling of the internal organs with sanguineous ascetic fluid.

There were 225 bacterial isolates found. Six species were identified through phenotypic and biochemical analysis; they were Aeromonas, Vibrio, Streptococcus, Pseudomonas, Enterococcus, and Edwardsiella spp., in descending percentage, respectively. Aeromonas spp., Vibrio spp., and Streptococcus spp. were the three most frequent isolated bacterial pathogens. The identification of Aeromonas hydrophila, Vibrio spp., and Streptococcus iniae, the three most common bacterial isolates, was confirmed by molecular analysis by polymerase chain reaction. Most of the tested strains were found to be responsive to Ciprofloxacin (CIP), Gentamicin (CN), and Chloramphenicol (C) but resistant to Amoxicillin (AMX), according to an antibiotic sensitivity test.

The three most dangerous common bacterial infections discovered during mass-farmed tilapia summer mortality are A. hydrophil a, Vibrio sp., and S. iniae. This makes it clear that high water temperatures may raise the possibility of bacterial infections, which could cause widespread tilapia mortality and substantial financial losses. Therefore, it is crucial to maintain a beneficial fish culture, environment, and husbandry practices to enhance the tilapia-rearing environment and lessen the virulence of the disease. Isolated bacterial strains showed low levels of resistance to AMX but were vulnerable to CIP, CN, and C.