Multiple Drug Resistant Edwardsiella Tarda and Edwardsiella Hoshinae in an Integrated Fish-pig-duck Farm and Down Colony in Jharnapani, Nagaland

Integrated farming is popular in India but little is understood about circulation of multi-host pathogens under the emerging farming systems (IFS). Circulation of Edwardsiella a pathogen of public health importance has been studied in IFS. Gill swabs of fish (8), pond water (8), rectal swabs of pig (36) and cloacal swabs of duck (32) from an IFS and 24 samples each of rectal swabs of pigs and cloacal swabs of ducks from the down colony (300 m on down side from the farm) were analyzed for the presence of edwardsiellae and heterogeneity among the isolates. A total of 24 E. tarda and 6 E. hoshinae were isolated. No E. hoshinae was isolated from the IFS. We isolated both E. tarda and E. hoshinae from ducks but no E. tarda in down colony pigs. Though 55% E. tarda from the IFS were multi-drug-resistant (MDR) type, no MDR strain was detected in the down colony. Plasmid(s) were detected in E. tarda but not in E. hoshinae isolates. The study concluded that E. tarda may be detected in all components of the IFS but E. tarda from different sources may not be of similar type.