Bacterial Microflora in the Gut, Gill and Skin of African Catfish, Clarias garriepinus (Burchell, 1822) collected from Earthen Ponds in Oke-Baale, Osogbo, Nigeria.

Abstract

The African catfish is a widely cultivated fish species in Nigeria, as it serves as a good source of nutritive protein. The bacterial microflora in the different tissues of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) in earthen ponds located in Oke-Baale, Osogbo, Nigeria were investigated. Fish obtained were microbiologically examined for the bacterial isolates in the gut, gill and skin tissues.. Bacterial isolates such as Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci (CoNS), Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp, Corynebacterium spp and Aeromonas spp were isolated from the tissues of the cultured fish. The results of this study showed that fish cultivated in earthen ponds harbor a host of bacteria that may be
harmful to man if proper food hygienic practices are not adopted before consumption and also the need for healthy aquacultural practices by fish
farmers so as to avoid zoonotic infection