Abstract

Even though India is presently ranked second in aquaculture production, the outbreak of infectious diseases has resulted in heavy losses to the aquaculture industry. Among the various groups of pathogens affecting fishes, bacteria appear to be the most common pathogen. Hence the present study was attempted to find the bacteria that occur in water, sediment and the common fish Mystus vittatus collected from Lower Anicut area in Tamil Nadu. A total of 20 bacteria were identified in both sediment and water samples. The skin of Mystus vittatus recorded 11 bacteria while the foregut 12, midgut 9 and hindgut, 17 bacteria. Out of these, eight bacteria were common to gut. During this study, bacteria that could pose a threat to human beings were also isolated. This warrants immediate action as well as dissipation of information to the fishermen and handlers.

Keywords

Fresh water, Sediment, Bacteria, Mystus vittatus, Skin, Digestive system.

Received on 25/04/2018, Accepted on 31/05/2018, Published on 31/05/2018