Prevalence of Multiple Drug Resistant Pathogenic Bacteria in Cultured Black Tiger Shrimp (Penaeus monodon Fabricius)

The shrimp sector is the second largest export earner for Bangladesh, which is a major contributor in the national economy of Bangladesh. It also provides millions of employment. Every year a huge amount of shrimps are rejected to export due to its pathogenic bacterial contamination. A comparative study regarding prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of pathogenic bacteria in the black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon Fabricius) were analyzed in terms of coliform, fecal coliform, Salmonella-Shigella and Vibrio spp. Total coliform, total faecal coliform, total Salmonella-Shigella and total vibrio counts were ranged from 6×10 to 8.6×10 cfu/gm, 2 5 0.0 to 3.8×10 cfu/gm, 0.0 to 3.7×10 cfu/gm and 0.0 to 2.5×10 cfu/gm, respectively. Among 11 tested isolates 5 5 3 selected from shrimp, 7 isolates displayed multidrug resistance to more than three antibiotics. Inadequate fish storage facilities, limited use of ice to preserve the shrimp, improper and unhygienic handling of shrimp could be considered as some of the factors contributing to the occurrence of these pathogens. The main reason of antibiotic resistance could be the contamination of shrimps with the antibiotic resistant bacteria through the environment and human handling.