ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECTS OF ORGANIC ACIDS AGAINST FISH PATHOGEN YERSINIA RUCKERI

Yersinia ruckeri is a common pathogen that causes mortality and economic losses in trout and salmon farming. The disease caused by this bacterium is also known as yersiniosis and enteric red mouth disease. This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial effects of different organic acids such as sulfamic acid, fumaric acid, malic acid, lactic acid, itaconic acid, and tartaric acid against Yersinia ruckeri bacteria as alternatives to antibiotics. The antimicrobial effects of organic acids were determined by the disk diffusion method. As a result of the disk diffusion test, it was determined that all organic acids showed moderate inhibitory activity against Yersinia ruckeri. In addition, fumaric acid showed the highest antimicrobial activity with an 18 mm diameter. In addition, malic acid showed an inhibition zone of 16 mm, while tartaric acid and lactic acid both produced inhibition zones of 15 mm. Sulfamic acid and itaconic acid were found to be slightly less effective than the others, each producing an inhibition zone of 14 mm. In light of these findings, it can be said that the tested organic acids, especially fumaric acid, can potentially be used as an antimicrobial agent as an alternative to antibiotics to combat yersiniosis in aquaculture. In future studies, in vivo studies should be conducted by adding fumaric acid to fish diets and testing fish's resistance to yersiniosis disease.