Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria in Aquaculture Systems in Accra, Ghana.

Background: Antibiotic resistance (ABR) poses a critical global health challenge, necessitating its surveillance across both human and animal health sectors. This study evaluated ABR in bacteria harboured in reared inland fishes sold in Accra and the pond water from which they originated.

Method: The study was cross-sectional, involving fishes and water sampled from 80 ponds. The gastrointestinal organs of the fishes were homogenised and cultured for bacteria, as were the water samples. The bacteria were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Antimicrobial susceptibility test was done using the Kirby-Bauer method. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria were selected for further testing. The double disc diffusion method was used to detect extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production in isolates that were resistant to third-generation cephalosporins. Whole genome sequencing was performed on the ESBL-positive isolates using the Illumina Miseq platform.

Results: In total, 39 different bacterial species, with their individual numbers totalling 391, were isolated. The bacteria were predominantly Escherichia coli (17%), Aeromonas veronii (11%), Citrobacter freundii (8%), Bacillus cereus (5%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (5%). The overall ABR rates were cefotaxime (32%), gentamicin (1%), ciprofloxacin (4%), chloramphenicol (19%), tetracycline (37%), meropenem (0%), and ertapenem (0%). Overall MDR and ESBL bacteria prevalence were 13.6% and 1.3%, respectively. The sequence types of the ESBL isolates were ST4684 (80%, n = 4) and ST2005 (20%, n = 1), and the serotypes were H34:09 (80%, n = 4) and H7 (20%, n = 1); the ABR genes were blaCTX-M-15, fosA7, and qnrS1.

Conclusion: The fishes and the pond water were contaminated with a diverse range of bacteria, mainly Escherichia coli and Aeromonas veronii. The ABR, MDR, and ESBL rates were low to moderate. Moreover, the main sequence type and serotype of the ESBL isolates were ST4684 and H34:09, respectively, and the ABR genes were blaCTX-M-15, fosA7, and qnrS1.