Bacteria of Zoonotic Interest Identified on Edible Freshwater Fish Imported to Australia

• Published in: Foods Vol. 12; no. 6; p. 1288
• Main Authors: Williams, Michelle, Shamsi, Shokoofeh, Williams, Thomas, Hernandez-Jover, Marta
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.03.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Antibiotics; Antimicrobial agents; Aquaculture; Australia; Bacteria; Contaminants; Contamination; Cultured meat; E coli; Fish; Fish as food; Food contamination; Food contamination & poisoning; Food safety; Food science; Food waste; Freshwater fish; imported fish; Livestock; Methicillin; Micrococcus; Pathogens; Ponds; Pseudomonas; Quality management; Salmonella; Seafood; Sediments; Staphylococcus aureus; Supply chains; Zoonoses; zoonotic bacteria; Australia; Australia; imported fish; zoonotic bacteria
• ISSN: 2304-8158; 2304-8158
• DOI: 10.3390/foods12061288

Previous research has shown that freshwater edible fish imported into Australia are not compliant with Australian importation guidelines and as a result may be high risk for bacterial contamination. In the present study, the outer surface of imported freshwater fish were swabbed, cultured, confirmatory tests performed and antimicrobial patterns investigated. Channidae fish (Sp. A/n = 66) were contaminated with zoonotic sp./ (n = 1/66) and other bacteria implicated in cases of opportunistic human infection, these being sp. (including . and (n = 34/66)); sp. (n = 32/66); (n = 27/66) and (n = 3/66). Pangasiidae fish (Species B/n = 47) were contaminated with zoonotic (n = 10/47); sp. (n = 6/47) and environmental bacteria sp. (n = 3/47). One sample was resistant to all antimicrobials tested and is considered to be Methicillin Resistant . Mud, natural diet, or vegetation identified in Sp. A fish/or packaging were significantly associated with the presence of spp. The study also showed that visibly clean fish (Sp. B) may harbour zoonotic bacteria and that certain types of bacteria are common to fish groups, preparations, and contaminants. Further investigations are required to support the development of appropriate food safety recommendations in Australia.