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Background: The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence and antibiotic susceptibility profile of enterobacteria isolated from ready-to-eat foods within Benin metropolis, Nigeria.Methods: This was a descriptive study of 210 ready-to-eat food samples comprising fried rice, jollof rice, moi-moi, salad, oil beans, non-oil beans, and African salad obtained from roadside food vendors between January and June 2017. Isolation and identification of enterobacteria isolates were carried out using standard bacteriological and molecular methods. Antibiotic susceptibility profile was carried out using the disc diffusion method.Results: The mean mesophilic bacterial count expressed in log10 CFU/g from the ready-to-eat foods ranged from oil beans (4.3±0.52) to African salad (7.2±1.38). Escherichia coli count ranged between oil beans (1.8±0.16) and African salad (4.1±0.10). Salmonella species count ranged from non-oil beans (2.3±0.17) to African salad (5.2±0.09). Significant differences were observed from the population count of the ready-to-eat foods (p < 0.05). Bacterial isolates recovered from the ready-to-eat foods include Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Citrobacter freundii, Enterobacter cloacae, Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella oxytoca. The highest occurrence of the bacterial isolates was Escherichia coli 23(41.07%) while the least was Citrobacter freundii 3(5.36%) and Enterobacter cloacae 3(5.36%). The antimicrobial susceptibility profile of the bacterial isolates revealed that all bacterial isolates were 100% resistant to cefepime, ceftazidime, cefuroxime, ertapenem, and meropenem; with considerable sensitivity to kanamycin and gentamycin.Conclusion: The occurrence of these bacterial isolates in the foods constitutes public health risk to consumers as these pathogens have been associated with foodborne infections. Keywords: Antibiotic-resistant; Enterobacteria; Foodborne pathogens; Microbial quality; Public health; Street foods

Cassava peels are waste generated from cassava processing and are mostly disposed of in Nigeria by dumping indiscriminately in landfills/waste dumps where they remain as huge mounds and constitute nuisance to the environment. This study was carried out using cassava peels as substrate for the production of α – amylase from three fungi (Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger and Penicillium expansum) selected from twelve microbial isolates obtained from biodegrading cassava peels. The fungi were isolated using cassava peel agar medium and the α – amylase was produced by the solid state fermentation process. The α – amylase was assayed by measuring the decrease in staining power of starch with iodine reagent at 620nm and purified by using Sephadex G-100 and Sephadex C-50. The α – amylase was characterized by examining the effect of temperature, stability at 70oC, pH, substrate concentration, metal ions and EDTA. The results show that the purification fold and specific activity were 95.727, 1.053 Units/mg protein; 81.830, 0.982 Units/mg protein and 85.784, 0.686 Units/mg protein for A. flavus, A. niger and P. expansum respectively. The optimum temperature and pH were 45oC and 4.5 respectively. It was observed that the α – amylase still retained some activity after heating at 70oC for 35 min. The α – amylase activity increased with increase in substrate concentration and metal ion concentration (Na+, K+, Mg2+ and Ca2+) but decreased with increase in heavy metal ion concentration (Hg2+ and Pb2+) and EDTA. Key words: Cassava peels, α – amylase, fungi, starch and Sephadex C – 50.

The demand for minimally processed vegetables (African salad) has increased partly due to its inclusion in ready-to-eat foods. Nevertheless, the associated risk of the presence of emergent foodborne pathogens, such asVibrio parahaemolyticusmight be underestimated. The present study was designed to isolate and characterize foodborneV. parahaemolyticusfrom minimally processed vegetables using culture-based methods and molecular approach. A total of 300 samples were examined from retail outlets between November 2018 and August 2019 from Southern Nigeria. The prevalence of vibrios from the overall samples based on the colonial proliferation of yellow, blue-green and/or green colonies on thiosulfate citrate bile salts sucrose agar was 74/300 (24.6%). An average of two green or blue-green colonies from respective plates was screened forV. parahaemolyticususing analytical profile index (API) 20 NE. Polymerase chain reaction further confirmed the identity of positiveV. parahaemolyticus. The counts ofV. parahaemolyticusranged from 1.5 to 1,000 MPN/g. A total of 63 recoveredV. parahaemolyticuswere characterized further. The resistance profile of the isolates include ampicillin 57/63 (90.5%), cefotaxime 41/63 (65.1%), ceftazidime 30/63 (47.6%), amikacin 32/63 (50.8%), kanamycin 15/63 (23.8%), and oxytetracycline 16/63 (25.4%). The multiple antibiotic index ranged from 0–0.81. The formation of biofilm by the isolates revealed the following: strong formation 15/63 (23.8%), moderate formation 31/63 (49.2%), weak formation 12/63 (19.1%), and no formation 5/63 (7.9%). A total of 63/63 (100%), 9/63 (14.3%), and 20/63 (31.8%) of the isolates harbored thetox Rgene, TDH-related hemolysin (trh) and thermostable direct hemolysin (tdh) determinants respectively. The isolates with O2 serogroup were most prevalentviaPCR. Isolates that were resistant to tetracycline, kanamycin, and chloramphenicol possessed resistant genes. The presence of multidrug-resistant vibrios in the minimally processed vegetables constitutes a public health risk and thus necessitates continued surveillance.

Five Staphylococcus saprophyticus strains were isolated from the fermented milk product nono in Nigeria and were sequenced using an Illumina MiSeq platform. The genome sizes ranged from 2.53 to 2.60 Mbp, while the GC contents ranged from 32.99 to 33.07 mol%. The genomes possessed 2,505 to 2,687 protein-coding sequences.

Aeromonas species are broadly distributed in nature and agricultural environments and have been isolated from feces, bedding, and drinking water of healthy pigs. We assessed the incidence, virulence properties, and antimicrobial resistance profile of Aeromonas spp., isolated from pig feces. Antibiogram was done using the disc diffusion methods, and polymerase chain reaction was used for the detection of putative virulence genes. Identification of isolates revealed three phenotypic species with percentage distribution as follows: Aeromonas hydrophila 23 (45.1 %), Aeromonas caviae 16 (31.4 %), and Aeromonas sobria 12 (23.5 %). All Aeromonas isolates in the study were absolutely susceptible to cefotaxime and resistant to penicillin. A. cavaie and A. sobria demonstrated absolute susceptibility against ciprofloxacin and streptomycin. Aeromonas species showed varied susceptibility to cephalothin as follows: A. hydrophila 78.3 %, A. cavaie 93.7 %, and A. sobria 91.7 %. The percentage distribution of virulence genes among Aeromonas isolates were as follows: Aerolysin (aer) 74.5 %, flagellin gene (fla) 68.6 %, cytotoxin (hly A) 43.1 %, lipase (lip) 39.2 %, enterotoxic activities (ast) 31.3 %, and cytotonic gene (alt) 13.7 %. Reports from this study shows that Aeromonas species isolated from pig fecal samples are multi-drug resistant and possess virulence potential which may result to possible risk of human or animal infection and likely contamination of food and water from this sources.

This study aimed to assess the antibiogram of Aeromonas strains recovered from cattle faeces and the potential pathogenic status of the isolates. The antibiogram of the Aeromonas isolates demonstrated total resistance to clindamycin oxacillin, trimethoprim, novobiocin and ticarcillin. However, Aeromonas strains were sensitive to cefotaxime, oxytetracycline and tobramycin. The Aeromonas strains from Lovedale and Fort Cox farms were found to possess some virulence genes. The percentage distribution was aer 71.4%, ast 35.7%, fla 60.7%, lip 35.7% and hlyA 25% for Lovedale farm and aer 63.1%, alt 10.5%, ast 55.2%, fla 78.9%, lip 21% and hlyA 35.9% for Fort Cox farm. Class 1 integron was present in 27% of Aeromonas isolates; the bla TEM gene was present in 34.8%, while the blaP1 class A β-lactamase gene was detected in 12.1% of the isolates. Approximately 86% of the isolates formed a biofilm on microtitre plates. The presence of multiple antibiotic resistance and virulence genes in Aeromonas isolates from cattle faeces reveals the pathogenic and infectious importance of these isolates and is of great significance to public health. The possession of a biofilm-forming capability by such isolates may lead to difficulty during the management of infection related to Aeromonas species.

Salmonella species is an important foodborne pathogen with the non-typhoidal serovars such as Enteritidis and Typhimurium as the most predominant strains. This study examines the biofilm formation, phenotypic virulence factors and cell surface characteristics of Salmonella strains from ready-to-eat shrimps. The ready-to-eat shrimps were obtained from open markets between November 2016 and October 2017 in Edo and Delta States, Nigeria. The occurrence of Salmonella strains in this study was 210/1440 (14.58%) of the ready-to-eat shrimp’s samples. The identified strains comprise of Salmonella Enteritidis 11, Salmonella Typhimurium 14 and other Salmonella spp. 20. The 45 identified Salmonella strains revealed the following virulence properties: swimming and swarming motility 45(100%); S-layer 39(86.67%); haemolytic activity 40(88.89%); lipase activity 43(95.56%); protease activity 43(95.56%); gelatinase production 43(95.56%); and DNA degrading activity 41(91.11%). The variation in the formation of biofilm-based on the diversity of Salmonella species was observed with higher percentage of Salmonella Typhimurium strains as strong biofilms producers under different environmental conditions. For surface hydrophobicity using bacterial adherence to hydrocarbons, 25(55.56%) were hydrophilic while 20(44.44%) were moderately hydrophobic from the 45 Salmonella isolates. Using salting aggregation test for surface hydrophobicity, all selected isolates 45(100%) was hydrophilic. Autoaggregation index for the 12 selected Salmonella isolates ranged from 15.2–47.2%, while the autoaggragation index for the 12 selected test bacteria ranged from 26.2–71.3%. Coaggragation between the 12 selected test bacteria and 12 Salmonella isolates ranged from 12.5–81.0%. The occurrence of pathogenic species of Salmonella from ready-to-eat shrimps could be detrimental to the consumers. Findings on the physiological conditions of biofilms formed by the foodborne pathogenic Salmonella and the cell surface characteristics therein are crucial for the advancement of methods for controlling Salmonella from ready-to-eat foods.

Enterococci are primarily inhabitants of the intestinal mucosa of animals and humans; however, they can also be recovered from water, soil, plants, insects and fermented food products. The aim of this study was to carry out quality indices survey for Enterococcus species from the abattoir environment in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. A total of 36 samples were obtained from two different abattoirs which comprised of water source (n = 12), effluent from point of usage (n = 12) and effluent from point of discharge (n = 12) between February and July, 2017. Physicochemical variables of the effluents were assessed using standard analytical techniques. The isolation of Enterococcus isolates was carried out using standard culture-based techniques. Analytical profile index 20E (API 20E) was used to confirm the identity of the Enterococcus species. Antimicrobial susceptibility profile of the Enterococcus species was determined using disk diffusion method. The mean ranges of physicochemical parameters of the water samples were: pH (5.36 ± 0.85- 7.35 ± 0.28), phosphate (0.39 ± 0.31 - 21.28 ± 0.01 mg/L), dissolved oxygen (0.83 ± 1.94 - 6.13 ± 0.13 mg/L) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) (35.66 ± 0.13 - 797.10 ± 0.35 mg/L). The mean range of mesophilic bacteria count was (6.51 ± 0.61) ×107 - (1.92 ± 0.11) × 108 cfu/ml and Enterococcus species- (6.66 ± 1.63) ×101– (1.16 ± 0.05) ×104 cfu/ml. The percentage occurrence of Enterococcus species were: E. faecalis (29.7%), E. faecium (35.9%), E. durans (14.1%), E. casseliflavus (12.5%) and E. hirae (7.8%). A total of 23 (35.9%) of Enterococcus species were resistant to 9 antibiotics (PENR , PTZR , ETPR , MEMR , TETR , CLIR , CROR , CTXR , and VANR ) which belong to 6 groups of antimicrobial with a multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index of 0.64. The presence of multiple antibiotic resistant indexes in Enterococcus species is of significance to ublic health. Findings from this study could be used as a baseline study to investigate outbreaks of pathogenic and multidrug resistant enterococci infections in abattoir environments.Keywords: Enterococcus, Abattoir, Antimicrobial resistance, Environment, Multidrug resistance

The detection of genes responsible for Aeromonas virulence is a vital tool in establishing the potential pathogenicity of the bacteria, as these virulence genes may act alone or in synergy in the establishment of infections. Freshwater and wastewater mixed liquor samples were collected from Kat river and Fort Beaufort wastewater treatment plant in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Polymerase chain reaction was utilized for the amplification of the different genes coding for virulence. All virulence associated genes screened (alt, lip, fla, aer, ast, hlyA) were detected in at least one Aeromonas isolates. In fresh water sample, virulence genes were distributed as follows: lip (67%), aer (43%), alt (33%), fla (62%), ast (10%), and hlyA (86%), while in wastewater samples the occurrence were as follows: lip (92%), aer (21%), alt (54%), fla (83%), ast (29%), and hlyA (88%). The presence of these virulence genes in environmental Aeromonas isolates is of concern to public health as these organisms are potential pathogens in the environment and the virulence determinants could be transferred to aquatic organisms and humans by one mechanism or the other.

The continuous misuse of antimicrobials in food animals both orally and subcutaneously as therapeutic and prophylactic agents to bacterial infections could be detrimental and contribute to the dissemination of resistant clones in livestock production. The present study was carried out to determine the antibiogram and virulence gene characteristics of Enterococcus species from pig farms. A total of 300 faecal samples were obtained from two pig farms in Benin City between February and July 2016. Standard culture-based and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay were adopted in the detection and characterization of the Enterococcus species. Antimicrobial susceptibility profile was determined using disc diffusion method. A total of 268 enterococci isolates were recovered from both farms investigated. In Farm A, 94/95 (99%) of E. faecalis isolates were resistant to clindamycin; while 23/25 (92%) of E. faecium isolates were resistant to clindamycin. In farm B, all E. faecalis isolates 119/119 (100%) were resistant to clindamycin; while 26/29 (90%) of E. faecium isolates were resistant to clindamycin. Virulence gene detected in the enterococci isolates includes aggregation (asa1) [Farm A (E. faecalis 66%, E. faecium 76%), Farm B (E. faecalis 71%, E. faecium 13%)] and others. Multidrug resistant profile of the isolates revealed that 17/95 (18%) of E. faecalis and 3/25 (12%) of E. faecium isolates from Farm A as well as, 16/119 (14%) of E. faecalis and 5/29 (17%) of E. faecium isolates from Farm B were resistant to CLIR, PENR, ERYR, GENR, TETR, MEMR, KANR, and PTZR. The high level of resistance observed in the study and their virulence gene signatures, calls for effective environmental monitoring to circumvent the environmental dissemination of resistant pathogenic clones. Thus environmental hygiene should be provided to food animals to prevent the proliferation and spread of resistant bacteria.

Pseudomonas species are opportunistic pathogens with implications in a wide range of diseases including cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anaemia. Because of their status as multidrug resistant (MDR) and extremely drug resistant (XDR) bacteria Pseudomonas species represent a threat to public health. Prevalence, antibiogram and associated antibiotic resistant genes of Pseudomonas species isolated from freshwater and mixed liquor environments in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa were assessed. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based technique was used to identify the isolates and screen for antibiotic resistant genes. The result shows occurrence of Pseudomonas spp. in freshwater and mixed liquor as follows: 71.42% and 37.5% (P. putida), 14.28% and 31.25% (P. flourescens), 7.14% and 6.25% (P. aeruginosa) and 7.14% and 25% for other Pseudomonas species respectively. Disk diffusion antibiogram of the Pseudomonas isolates from the two locations showed 100% resistance to penicillin, oxacillin, clindamycin, rifampicin and 100% susceptibility to ciprofloxacin and gentamicin with varied percentage resistances to cephalothin, nalidixic acid, tetracycline, and ampicillin. The blaTEM antibiotic resistant gene was detected in 12.5% of P. putida, 57.14% of P. fluorescens, 100% P. aeruginosa and 40% in other Pseudomonas species. Similarly, Integrons conserved segment were detected in 12.5% of P. putida, 57.14% of P. fluorescens, 100% of P. aeruginosa and 40% of other Pseudomonas species. The presence of blaTEM gene and integrons conserved segment in some of the isolates is worrisome and suggest Pseudomonas species as important reservoirs of multidrug resistance genes in the Eastern Cape Province environment.

This study was carried out to assess the microbial, physicochemical and heavy metal characteristics of soil samples from five different waste collection sites within the University of Benin, Benin City and evaluated using standard analytical and classical microbiological methods. The heavy metal concentration includes Zn (4.45±0.00 - 5.76±0.02 mg g −l ); Cd (1.59±0.00 - 2.54±0.00 mg g −l ); and Fe (1.02±0.02 - 1.07±0.00 mg g −l ). The physicochemical properties include pH (4.91±0.01 - 5.82±0.04); TOC (6.49±0.01 - 7.65±0.02 %); NO 2 − (29.32±0.07 - 32.81±0.11 mg g −l ); and SO 4 2− (47.30±0.12 - 63.25±0.04 mg g −l ). The mean of culturable heterotrophic and coliform bacteria ranged from 4.03×10 7 ± 0.35 - 4.51×10 8 ± 0.12 CFU/g and 1.02×10 4 ± 0.12 - 3.10×10 5 ± 0.02 CFU/g respectively. At p -value < 0.01 level EC significantly correlates total heterotrophic bacteria ( r = 0.971); coliform bacteria significantly correlate NO 3 − ( r = 0.989); while clay significantly but negatively correlates coliform bacteria ( r = -0.989). Some of the bacteria isolated and identified from the waste collection sites include Klebsiella oxytoca , Enterobacter aerogenes , Staphylococcus aureus , Pseudomonas putida , and Bacillus macerans . Findings from this study reveal that the municipal solid waste on the collection sites has impacts on the indicator variables of the resident soil as well as serving as breeding sites for pathogenic organisms. Keywords: solid waste, environmental hazard, soil quality, pathogens

Poultry meat and its products are widely consumed by humans globally, however, Aeromonas infections in poultry have been reported in different parts of the world with devastating effects. This study was carried out to assess the antibiogram and biofilm forming potential of Aeromonas isolated from chicken fecal samples. Aeromonas isolates were screened for antibiotic susceptibility using antibiotics disk and biofilm producing potentials on abiotic surfaces. Nineteen isolates recovered from chicken feces were 100% sensitive to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin and the tetracyclines. About 53% of Aeromonas isolates were resistant to erythromycin and 47% resistant to streptomycin. Eight isolates (42.1%) were found to be moderate producers of biofilm, 31.6% (6/19) were weak producers of biofilm, 10.5% (2/19) were non biofilm producers while 15.8% (3/19) were strong producers. The present investigation shows a prevalence of potentially pathogenic Aeromonas strains in chicken feces, suggesting potential group at risk for Aeromonas infection which could be dissemination to other animals or humans with close contact and the wider community.

The antioxidant, phytochemical and nutritional properties of acetone, methanol and aqueous extracts of the leaves of Ocimum gratissimum (Linn) were investigated to evaluate the therapeutic and nutritional potential of the leaves of this plant. The antioxidant of the plant extracts were assessed against 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-azinobis-(3- ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) and ferric reducing agent. Total phenolics, flavonoids, flavonols and proanthocyanidins were determined to assess their corresponding effect on the antioxidant activity of this plant. The extracts exhibited DPPH and ABTS .+ radical scavenging activities, which was comparable to butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, saponin, steroids, cardiacglycoside, flavonoid, terpenoids and phenol. The proximate analysis confirms that the leaves contain appreciable amount of ash, crude protein, lipids, fibre and carbohydrates. The macro and micro elements and constituents revealed that the leaves contain significant amount of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, copper, nitrogen, and manganese. This study shows that the leaf can be used as a therapeutic agent and justifies its application in folkloric medicine. Keywords : Ocimum gratissimum , oxidative stress, polyphenolic, proximate composition, therapeutic activity

Aeromonasspecies are well distributed in freshwater environments, and their natural susceptibility to antimicrobials renders them interesting candidates for the survey of antimicrobial resistance in freshwater milieu. Water samples were collected from Kat and Tyume rivers in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, and a total of 45 isolates identified asAeromonasspecies were recovered from the two rivers. AllAeromonasisolates were resistant to oxacillin, penicillin, clindamycin, cephalothin, vancomycin, and rifamycin, while appreciable susceptibilities (89.3 : 94.1%, 82.1 : 94.1%, 85.7 : 88.2%, and 92.9 : 88.2%) were observed against ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, nitrofurantoin, and gentamicin from Kat and Tyume rivers, respectively. Multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) indices ranged from 0.016 to 0.044 for the two rivers. Class 1 integron was detected in about 20% of the isolates, and all the isolates except one showed ability to produce biofilmin vitroas weak producers (53.33%), moderate producers (15.56%), and strong producers (28.9%). This investigation provides a baseline data on antibiotic resistance as well as the adhesive characteristics ofAeromonasisolates from Tyume and Kat rivers in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.

This study aims to evaluate potential toxic effect ofJatropha curcasleaves methanol extract on laboratory rats as well as determine its LD50. A total of 80 male Wistar rats were used as the experimental animals, 40 for LD50determination and the other 40 for toxicity study. Based on the pretest that was done in order to establish a range of toxicity, 4 dosages (86.00, 58.00, 46.00, and 34.0 kg/body weight) were chosen. The rats were randomly assigned into four groups with 10 rats in each group. Rats in groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 were given 0 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg, 1000 mg/kg, and 2000 mg/kg body weight ofJatropha curcasextract, respectively, by oral intubation for 21 days. Thereafter, clinical signs, change in body weight, toxicity symptoms, and biochemical parameters were obtained. The LD50at 95% confidence limits for rats was 46.0 mg/kg body weight (44.95–52.69 mg/kg body mass). There was no clinical and biochemical signs of toxicity when the extract was administered at 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg body weight, respectively (P>0.05). Results obtained from this study suggest that liver, kidney, and haematological system of rats tolerated methanolic leave extract ofJatropha curcasat a certain concentration.

Pseudomonas aeruginosais an opportunistic pathogen in environmental waters with a high prevalence of multidrug resistance. In this study the synergistic efficacy of synergy antibiotic combinations in multidrug-resistantP. aeruginosastrains isolated from an abattoir effluent was investigated. Water samples were processed using membrane filtration;Pseudomonaswas isolated with Pseudomonas Isolation Agar and confirmed using polymerase chain reaction with specie-specific primer. Susceptibility studies andin vitrosynergy interaction testing were carried out, employing agar dilution and Etest procedure, respectively. Resistance was noted for clinically relevant antipseudomonal agents tested. Finding from antibiotic synergy interaction studies revealed that cefepime, imipenem, and meropenem combined with amikacin resulted in statistically significant (P<0.0001)in vitroantibiotics synergy interaction, indicating the possible use of this regimen in treatment of pseudomonal infections.

This study assessed the prevalence of antibiotic-resistantAeromonasspecies isolated from Alice and Fort Beaufort wastewater treatment plant in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined using the disc diffusion method, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was employed for the detection of antibiotics resistance genes. Variable susceptibilities were observed against ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, nalidixic acid, gentamicin, minocycline, among others.Aeromonasisolates from both locations were 100% resistant to penicillin, oxacillin, ampicillin, and vancomycin. Higher phenotypic resistance was observed in isolates from Fort Beaufort compared to isolates from Alice. Class Apse1β-lactamase was detected in 20.8% of the isolates with a lower detection rate of 8.3% forblaTEMgene. Class 1 integron was present in 20.8% ofAeromonasisolates while class 2 integron andTetCgene were not detected in any isolate. The antibiotic resistance phenotypes observed in the isolates and the presence ofβ-lactamases genes detected in some isolates are of clinical and public health concern as this has consequences for antimicrobial chemotherapy of infections associated withAeromonasspecies. This study further supports wastewater as potential reservoirs of antibiotic resistance determinants in the environment.

Aeromonasspecies are ubiquitous bacteria in terrestrial and aquatic milieus. They are becoming renowned as enteric pathogens of serious public health concern as they acquire a number of virulence determinants that are linked with human diseases, such as gastroenteritis, soft-tissue, muscle infections, septicemia, and skin diseases. Proper sanitary procedures are essential in the prevention of the spread ofAeromonasinfections. Oral fluid electrolyte substitution is employed in the prevention of dehydration, and broad-spectrum antibiotics are used in severeAeromonasoutbreaks. This review presents an overview of emergingAeromonasinfections and proposes the need for actions necessary for establishing adequate prevention measures against the infections.