Identification,characterization and antibiotic sensitivity of aeromonas hydrophila,a causative agent of epizootic ulcerative syndrome in wild and farmed fish from potohar,Pakistan

A total of 82 samples of fish (80 from fish farm; 2 from river) infected with epizootic ulcerative syndrome (eus) were collected. identification and characterization of isolates was done by biochemical tests,fermentation of sugars and analytical profile index (api 20ne). a total of 60 bacterial isolates were confirmed as aeromonas hydrophila,a causative agent of eus in cultured fish species of potohar region,pakistan. none of bacterial species was recovered from disease wild (river) fish. all isolates were sensitive to chloramphenicol (100%) and partly sensitive to norfloxacin (55.0%),streptomycin (90.0%),gentamycin (60.0%),erythromycin (33.3%) and tetracycline (66.7%). moreover,all isolates showed resistance (100%) to amoxicillin,penicillin and novobiocin. it is concluded that a. hydrophila was the causative agent of eus in fish farms of potohar region,pakistan and strains of a. hydrophila have developed multi-drug resistance against antibiotics.