Antibiotic resistance of culturable heterotrophic bacteria isolated from shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) aquaculture ponds

Abstract

Shrimp aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food-producing avenues, where antibiotics usage has become an issue of great concern due to the development of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria. A total of 2304 bacterial isolates from 192 samples (sediment, water, shrimp, and source water) from Andhra Pradesh, India were screened. Antibiotic resistance of bacterial isolates was highest for oxytetracycline followed by erythromycin , co-trimoxazole ciprofloxacin , and chloramphenicol, of which 11.9% isolates were multi-drug resistant. Bacterial isolates from shrimp , water , and sediment samples exhibited more resistance (p ≤ 0.05) towards oxytetracycline. Higher antibacterial resistance was observed from samples of southern Andhra Pradesh (locations L6 and L7). Gram negative bacteria were more prevalent (64%) and showed significantly (p ≤ 0.01) higher resistance. This study indicated the wider distribution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in shrimp aquaculture ponds with potential risk to humans and the environment.