Prevalence and Geographic Patterns of Vibrio spp. in Freshwater Fish in Slemani Province-Iraq

Vibrio is a group of bacteria commonly found in water, and some species of fish, like Vibrio cholerae, can cause serious diseases in humans and fish. This study investigated the prevalence of Vibrio species in freshwater fish from various locations across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Iran. A total of 340 fish samples, representing 10 species from eight different locations, were collected from local markets in Slemani province and tested using PCR for Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio vulnificus, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The results demonstrated considerable variation in V. cholerae detection across species and locations. PCR analysis revealed that Luciobarbus barbulus and Silurus triostegus exhibited the highest infection rates (100%), while Chondrostoma regium and Oncorhynchus mykiss were consistently negative. The geographic factor was evident too, with positive cases clustered in a few locations such as Sharbarzhir, Hamren, and Taq taq, whereas samples from Dukan and Karkuk were mostly negative. From these findings, it could be inferred that factors pertaining to both fish species and environmental factors pertinent to collection sites could play an important role in the occurrence of V. cholerae. It seems that some types of freshwater fish may provide a reservoir environment for this zoonotic pathogen, making it necessary to target these fish for monitoring in aquaculture and public health surveillance programs.