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Abstract

The present study was conducted to monitor the microbiota in the posterior intestine of Shank fish living in the river (fresh water) and Al-Razzaza lake (salt or brackish water) in Kerbala, Iraq. Cultivable bacteria were calculated and identified from specimens obtained from the posterior intestine of mucosa (PM) and digesta (PD) during summer and winter seasons. The total culturable bacteria (TCB) of bacteria isolated from both intestinal regions from fresh water fish during summer time were higher than counterparts in winter time. In contrast, the TVC of bacteria isolated from the PM from salt water fish during winter time were higher than those reported in summer time for the same region.

Up to 13 species of bacteria were identified from the posterior intestine. Aeromonas hydrophila was the predominant microbe isolated in high percentages from all samples (e.g PD, PM, summer, winter, river and lake). Grimontia hollisae, Pasteurella multocida, Enterobacter cloacae and Pseudomonas fluorescens were isolated from the PM of fresh water fish during summer time. Brucella spp. were found only in PD of fish from salt water during summer time.

The mean log of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in the PD varied between 5.4 ± 0.5 and 4.5 ± 0.1 CFU g-1 during summer and winter in the river location. The mean log of LAB populations in the PM ranged from 4.3 ± 0.9 to 5.9 ± 0.1 CFU g-1 during the seasons of summer and winter in the river location. The LAB population in the both regions of intestine in Shank living in the lake during both seasons were completely absent.

In conclusion, seasonal variation in river and lacustrine temperature and salinity influenced the TCB and LAB population and distribution of bacterial species during the study.

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Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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