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Aeromonas spp. isolated from ready‐to‐eat seafood on the Norwegian market: prevalence, putative virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance
Author(s) -
Lee H.J.,
Hoel S.,
Lunestad B.T.,
Lerfall J.,
Jakobsen A.N.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.889
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2672
pISSN - 1364-5072
DOI - 10.1111/jam.14865
Subject(s) - aeromonas , virulence , biology , ampicillin , aeromonas salmonicida , antibiotic resistance , multiple drug resistance , microbiology and biotechnology , antimicrobial , drug resistance , antibiotics , fishery , fish <actinopterygii> , bacteria , gene , biochemistry , genetics
Aims We aim to investigate the prevalence, putative virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance of mesophilic Aeromonas isolated from ready‐to‐eat (RTE) seafood available on the Norwegian market, and to assess the potential risks by consuming RTE seafood to consumers. Methods and Results The prevalence of mesophilic Aeromonas in 148 RTE seafood was investigated and the highest prevalence was found in retail sushi (17%), followed by oysters (10%), fresh salmon loins (10%) and scallops (4%). Among 43 Aeromonas isolates, 75% of them were identified as A. media , 23% as A. salmonicida and 2% as A. bestiarum based on partial gryB gene sequencing. Aeromonas isolates were potentially pathogenic due to the presence of four virulence genes: alt (73%), hylA (22%), aerA (17%) and act (6%). In addition, all isolates were resistant to ampicillin and erythromycin. Most of the isolates (98%) were multidrug resistant. Conclusions The occurrence of potentially pathogenic and multidrug‐resistant Aeromonas strains in RTE seafood implies a potential risk to consumers. Our finding suggests that RTE seafood could be a potential vehicle for the transfer of virulent and multidrug‐resistant Aeromonas . Significance and Impact of the Study To our knowledge, this is the first study to report multiple antibiotic resistance in Aeromonas associated with RTE seafood in Norway.