poster
Phage-Based Eradication of Aeromonas: A Novel Approach against Aquatic and Clinical Pathogens
Climate change has emerged as a critical issue in recent years. Previous research has highlighted the increase in prevalence of Vibrio in marine environments due to rising sea surface temperatures. This rise in pathogenic Vibrio has led to increased infection rates among humans and aquatic organisms. In freshwater ecosystems, Aeromonas stands out as the predominant pathogen. Both Vibrio and Aeromonas are known for their ability to thrive in diverse aquatic environments, posing significant health risks to both aquatic life and human populations. Therefore, understanding the dynamics of these pathogens in response to environmental changes is crucial for developing effective strategies to mitigate their impact on public health and ecosystem. Our study primarily focuses on investigating Aeromonas, a facultative anaerobic Gram-negative bacillus commonly found in freshwater and wastewater environments. Aeromonas poses significant health risks to freshwater fish and can also lead to diseases in human, including diarrhea, wound infections, skin infections, pneumonia, and sepsis. Multiple Aeromonas isolates were gathered and subjected to strain typing via Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) and Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) techniques. Furthermore, we explore the antibiotic resistance profiles of Aeromonas isolates to understand the dynamics of resistance development. Bacteriophages were screened from various freshwater sources. Once corresponding phages were identified, they were purified for further investigations. These investigations offer potential applications in aquaculture to improve fish survival rates or in medical contexts to mitigate the pathogenic effects of Aeromonas on human disease.