Assessment of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Bacteria Obtained from Various Fish Species: A Study in Beymelek Lagoon

In this study, we investigated the presence of common antibiotic resistance genes in bacteria isolated from the internal organs of various fish collected from Beymelek Lagoon. A total of 50 fish, representing 11 different species, were collected from the point where the lagoon connects to the sea using the barricade and net method on two occasions, with an interval of one week, during May 2022. Bacteria isolated from various internal organs of the fish were identified using the VITEK 2 Compact automated identification system. Among the ten bacterial isolates obtained, five were classified as Gram-negative and five as Gram-positive. Sixteen antibiotic resistance genes (aadA1, ampC, blaTEM, cfr, dfrA1, ermB, floR, intI1, mphA, qnrA1, sul1, sul2, sul3, tetA, tetB, and tetW) were screened in these isolates. Resistance genes were detected in five distinct bacterial strains isolated from four different fish species. The intI1 gene was identified in five isolates, while the sul1 gene was detected in one isolate. None of the other 14 resistance genes were present in the isolated bacteria. These findings provide insight into the distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in bacterial strains associated with marine fish and highlight the potential risks of antimicrobial resistance in aquatic environments.