Isolation of Vibrio Species and Thermophilic Campylobacter Species from Marine Fish Off The Coast of Bagamoyo, Tanzania

Abstract

A total of 80 sea fish samples divided between 15 surfaces, 25 gills and 40 intestinal samples were screened for the presence of Vibrio spp. by using the biotyping protocol of Tison and Kelly. Moreover a further 30 sea fish samples comprising ten samples each from the above mentioned three anatomical cites were also screened for the presence of Campy spp. by using the biotyping protocols of Skirrow, Benjamin, Carter and Chengappa in order to establish environmental sources harbouring cholera and non-cholera vibrios and non-genital campylobacters. Though cholera epidemic has continued unchecked for the past two decades in Tanzania there are paucity of reports on isolations of these two allied groups of gastroenteritis causing bacteria from environmental sources and marine fish which has been reported as the most likely source of cholera and non-cholera vibrios according to several well documented studies. In our bid to shore up this gap of essential public health knowledge, fresh fish at Mbegani Fishing Complex, Bagamoyo, Tanzania was sampled over a period of eight months to gauge the carriage of these putative pathogenic bacteria from aforementioned anatomical cites of marine fish studied, especially when public health services and regulations governing fish hygiene are not existent in Tanzania. In this respect a total of 14 Vibrios and 15 Campylobacter isolates revealing one Vibrio cholerae and three non­ Vibrio cholerae biotypes vis a vis V.damsela, V.vulnificus and V.mimicus and two non­genital campylobacter biotypes vis a vis C.faecalis and C.bubulus ss. sputorum were recorded from a total of 110 skin surface, gills and gut samples studied.  Apart from V. cholerae, to the best of author’s knowledge all other biotype have not been reported before from Tanzania.