Isolation and Identification of Vibrio sp. from Marine Fishes of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Vibrio is a common bacterium found in marine fishes. Vibrio species are pathogenic to humans and cause various gastrointestinal diseases. Fish markets, fish harvesting areas, vectors like flies, seawater and sometimes fresh water bodies are the source of spread of this bacterium. Improper handling or pathogen contamination during transit has an impact not only on human health but also on the population of marine fish. Vibrio is known to be a human pathogen, the onset and spread of this bacterium causes severe diarrhoea. In this study, the presence of Vibrio species in marine water fishes was determined from fishes collected from various fish markets in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Various biochemical tests were performed to isolate and identify the Vibrio species. In the family Vibrionaceae three species such as Vibrio cholera, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus were identified. Additionally, a survey was conducted using google forms to understand the consumption rate of fish by people and also to gauge the awareness among public about the bacterial disease caused by consumption of fishes. It was observed that a large number of individuals consumed various types of fishes including marine and freshwater fishes on a regular basis. People also consume raw fish delicacies. However, very few individuals were aware of the bacteria and its related diseases, most of the participants were unaware of the presence of bacteria like Vibrio cholera and its associated diseases.