Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and gut microbiome communities associated with wild-caught shrimp from the United States versus imported farm-raised retail shrimp

In the United States, farm-raised shrimp accounts for ~ 80% of the market share. Farmed shrimp are cultivated as monoculture and are susceptible to infections. The aquaculture industry is dependent on the application of antibiotics for disease prevention, resulting in the selection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. We aimed to characterize the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and gut microbiome communities in commercially available shrimp. Thirty-one raw and cooked shrimp samples were purchased from supermarkets in Florida and Georgia (U.S.) between March–September 2019. The samples were processed for the isolation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and isolates were characterized using an array of molecular and antibiotic susceptibility tests. Aerobic plate counts of the cooked samples (n = 13) varied from