Study of contamination of seafood with Aeromonas hydrophila with emphasis on species and season

Aeromonas hydrophila is one of the most important pathogens of acute bacterial gastroenteritis particularly in young children and elderly which is transmitted mostly via water and food originating from animals. This study was conducted to determine the contamination rate of A. hydrophila in fish، shrimp and lobster caught off the south coast of Iran. After microbial culture، biochemical protocol was applied for identification of A. hydrophila. The results showed that from a total of 180 samples including، 110 fish، 40 shrimp and 30 lobsters from summer 1389 to spring 1390، 14 fish samples (12. 7%) and 4 shrimp (10%) were positive and no contamination with A. hydrophila was found in the lobsters. The highest contamination of A. hydrophila occurred in summer (17. 5%) followed by fall (10. 1%) and winter (4. 9%). The results of this study revealed the presence of A. hydrophila in fish and shrimp in Iran.