Assessment and Assay Comparison for Detection of Antimicrobial Residues in Freshwater Aquaculture Fish in Erbil Governorate, Iraq

Abstract
The excessive and uncontrolled application of antibiotics in the fish farming industry,\r\ncoupled with a lack of health monitoring and medication practices, is a driving force behind the\r\nescalating development of antimicrobial resistance. The present study assessed and compared\r\nqualitative field diffusion (QFD) and disk diffusion (DD) assays for the detection of antimicrobial\r\nresidues (ARs) in diverse freshwater aquaculture fish. A total of 380 freshwater aquaculture fish\r\n(160 fresh and 180 frozen) samples were systematically collected between January and June 2021\r\nfrom various retail stores located in Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Based on QFDA results, overall, ARs\r\nwere detected (52; 15.3%) at a relatively lower frequency with comparatively higher frequency (21;\r\n31.1%) in fresh than (31; 17.2%) frozen fish samples. On the other hand, DDA also revealed a\r\ncomparable (45; 13.2%) prevalence rate of ARs. However, a low detection was observed more in\r\nfresh (17; 10.6%) than frozen (28; 15.6%) fish samples. Moreover, no statistically significant disparity\r\n(χ2 = 0.069; p = 0.79) between two assays and types of fish was recorded. In conclusion, the results of\r\nthe present study showed that detecting a considerable frequency of ARs in these fish samples raises\r\nconcerns about potential threats to public health. This underscores the necessity for understanding\r\nantibiotic application in aquaculture and its potential connection to antibiotic resistance in bacterial\r\npathogens. Such comprehension is pivotal for formulating and implementing effective control and\r\nfarm management strategies to address this pressing issue.

Author
Dhary Alewy Almashhadany

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics13030225

Publisher
Antibiotics

ISSN
2079-6382

Publish Date: