AUTHOR=Lin Ziyang , Deng Yiqin , Su Wenxiao , Wang Qian , Chen Haoxiang , Sun Yun , Feng Juan 

TITLE=Prevalence and distribution of antibiotic resistance in the water environment of sea bass (Lateolabrax maculatus) breeding area in spring in South China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Marine Science

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1139641

DOI=10.3389/fmars.2023.1139641

ISSN=2296-7745

ABSTRACT=To study the antibiotic resistance of bacteria in sea bass aquaculture ponds during the early breeding stages, antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) were investigated in water samples from 20 sea bass-rearing ponds in Zhuhai, China. Bacterial resistance to erythromycin and sulfamethoxazole with trimethoprim was generally high (mean 48.15% and 18.07%, respectively), whereas resistance to rifampicin, florfenicol, ciprofloxacin, and enrofloxacin was generally low (mean 5.46%, 2.16%, 1.43%, and 0.16%, respectively). Acinetobacter sp. (42.31%) and Pseudomonas sp. (25.74%) were the dominant ARB, and most cultivable ARB were opportunistic pathogens. The abundance of sul family genes was higher than that of other tested ARGs. ARGs and ARB were strongly affected by NO3– and PO43–, with PO43– generally positively correlated, whereas NO3– was negatively correlated, with ARGs and ARB. Thus, recommendations for the control of antibiotic resistance risk can be made by understanding the resistance profile of the aquaculture environment.