ELIMINATION OF PATHOGENIC BACTERIUM, Aeromonas hydrophila BY THE USE OF PROBIOTICS

The present investigation was carried out to study the elimination of pathogenic, chloroamphinicol resistant Aeromonas hydrophila (A. hydrophilaChr) by the use of single pro-biotics; Probiotic 1 (Lactobacillus sporogenes), Probiotic 2 (Saccharomyces boulardii) or mixture of probiotics; Probiotic 3 (Nitromonas spp., Rhodococcus spp., Bacilus megaterium, Lecheni formis, Desulphovibrio sulphuricum, Psuedomonas spp., Chromatium spp., Chloro-bium spp., Thiobacillus spp., Thioxidants spp., Thiobacilus ferroxidant, Methylomonas methyanica, Glucon acetobactor, Azospirillum spp., Trichoderma spp., Shizophyllum commune and Sclertium gluconicum); in vitro as well as in vivo. For this purpose probiotics 1, 2 and 3 were tested against the pathogenic Aeromonas hydrophilachr. In vitro experiment revealed that the zones of inhibition of probiotic 1 were highest than probiotic 3 followed by probiotic 2 with values of 19.67 ± 0.67, 19.33 ± 0.33 and 17.00 ±0.58 mm, respectively. In vivo experi-ment also showed that the elimination of pathogenic A. hydrophilachr from 1.54 x 1011 CFU/mL to 1.90 x 101, 2.30 x 101 and 5.33 x 101 CFU/mL lasted four weeks by probiotic 1, probiotic 3 and probiotic 2, respecticvely. In conclusion, the viable counts of pathogenic bacterium were the highest in the fish inoculated only with the pathogenic bacteria 6.07x1012 cells/mL in four weeks. Probiotic cultures used had significantly reduced the viable count of A. hydrophila in fish. The numbers of viable counts was the lowest in catfishes treated with probiotic 1 followed by probiotic 3 and probiotic 2 over a period of four weeks.