Phenotypic and molecular detection of some Gram-negative bacteria from water of some commercial fish tanks in Mosul City/Iraq

Aim: Evaluation of the level of bacterial contamination in the water of fish tanks designated for human consumption in some commercial fish shops in Mosul city/Iraq. Methods: Two to three ml of water samples from 24 tanks containing Cyprinus carpio fish sold for consumption were collected. Phenetic identification (morphological, physiological, and biochemical tests) and Molecular detection using the Polymerase Chain Reaction(PCR) technique to confirm the identification of isolated bacteria to strain level. Results: The results indicated the presence of a variety of 51 Gram-negative bacterial strains (some coliform strains in addition to Pseudomonas spp. and Acinetobacterspp). in the pond water, which poses a health risk due to their endotoxins that are not affected by cooking temperatures. Conclusion: Only 13 of the isolated strains were subjected to PCR analysis and were registered in the NCBI database, where Escherichia coli was the most common strain among the identified strains.