Isolation and Identification of Bacteria Associated with the Bluegill Fish(Lepomis macrochirus)

Undergraduate #40
Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Cell and Molecular Biology

Latriscia Albritton - Alabama A&M University
Co-Author(s): Kadiatou Keita, Alabama A&M University, Huntsville, AL

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Fish are important food source for humans. However, like other living things, fish suffer from a variety of diseases. Non-specific defenses of fish include the skin and scales, as well as the mucus layer secreted by the epidermis that traps and inhibits the growth of microorganisms. Despite these defenses fish are susceptible to a wide variety of microbial or bacterial infections. The objective of this study is to isolate and characterize microbial population of freshwater fish: The Bluegill Fish (Lepomis macrochirus). An invitro assay was conducted to identify major bacterial contaminants of the fish collected from Aldridge Creek in South Huntsville. The bacterial load of the samples was determined using the dilution and streak plate techniques. The inoculated plates were incubated at 37°C degree for 24-48 hours. Bacterial colonies were sub-cultured to obtain pure cultures. Subsequently, twenty (20) gram negative and two (2) gram positive bacterial colonies were isolated. About 15 colonies were lactose fermenters and two (2) gram positive colonies were also halophilic. We are in the process of using DNA to further characterize and confirm the classification of the microorganisms. Our preliminary results indicate that some of these isolated microbes maybe capable of fish spoilage. Our future goal is to isolate fish microbiome of the gut contents with the hope of isolating microbes that have unique capacity for synthesizing usable natural products.

Not Submitted

Funder Acknowledgement(s): Florence Okafor

Faculty Advisor: Florence Okafor, florence.okafor@aamu.edu

Role: I participate in lab research using different techniques such as the streak plate. Also had the opportunity to work with fishes inside the lab.