Antibiotic sensitivity of the bacteria isolated from pangas (Pangasius hypophthalmus) fish of the retail fish market of Gazipur, Bangladesh

Food safety associated with microbiological quality has become a critical issue worldwide. The current study was undertaken to detect the health hazard microbes (Total plate count, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli and other pathogenic bacteria) in pangas fish and their sensitivity against the antibiotic. Fresh pangas fish were collected from different fish markets in Gazipur (Chowrasta, Shimultoli and Joydebpur fish market) district of Bangladesh. Total plate count (TPC) of bacteria, E. coli, other pathogenic bacteria and presence/absence test of Salmonella and V. cholerae were tested and the antibiotic resistance pattern of isolated bacteria was observed. The highest TPC was 5.22 log10 CFU/g from Chowrasta fish market and the lowest was 4.795 log10 CFU/g from Shimultoli fish market. Escherichia coli ranged from 2 log10 CFU/g (Chowrasta fish market) to 2.698 log10 CFU/g (Shimultoli fish market). No Salmonella and V. cholerae were found, E. coli was found in eight samples, Leclercia adecarboxylata (accession no. MN625850, MN625851) was found in five samples, and Aeromonas caviae (accession no.MN625853) were found in eight samples. Escherichia coli was found in pangas fish collected from all markets, ranges were 2 log10 CFU/g (Chowrasta fish market) to 2.698 log10 CFU/g (Shimultoli fish market) and all of them were within the range of acceptable limit. Seven antibiotics, namely ampicillin (25 µg/disc), gentamycin (10 µg/disc), chloramphenicol (10 µg/disc), oxytetracycline (30 µg/ disc), nitrofurantoin (300 µg/ disc), levofloxacin (5 µg/ disc), and ciprofloxacin (5 µg/disc) were used for antibiotic resistance testing. Isolated bacteria mostly showed resistance toward ampicillin, and only two isolates showed resistance to nitrofurantoin and oxytetracycline. The highest sensitivity showed for ciprofloxacin. The results of the study indicated that pathogenic bacteria present in retail pangas fish, and some are resistant to antibiotics and consumers in Bangladesh are at risk for food safety. If proper handling is not followed, fish farmers and people could face additional disease challenges due to the development of resistant bacterial strains.