Crayfish, lobster, and sea-water samples collected from five fishing islands on the Atlantic coast–Bight of
Biafra (Bonny)–belonging to Ibaka Local Government Area of Akwa-Ibom State of Nigeria were bacteriologically
evaluated on thiosulphate citrate bile-salt sucrose (TCBS) agar for
Vibrio
load and pathotypes. Mean log
10 Vibrio counts of 7.64±2.78 cfu/g (in crayfish), 5.07±3.21 cfu/g (in lobster), and 3.06±2.27 cfu/mL (in sea-water) were obtained in rainy season (June-July) while counts in the dry season (November-December) were 6.25±1.93 cfu/g, 5.99±1.54 cfu/g, and 3.84±1.78 cfu/mL respectively. The physicochemical measurements (temperature, pH, and total dissolved solutes) of the sea-water did not vary significantly in the two seasons across all five islands.
Vibrio species isolated were
Vibrio cholerae
(both O1 and non-O1 serotypes),
V. parahaemolyticus
,
V. vulnificus
,
V. mimicus
, and
V. fluvialis
. Both Ogawa and Inaba subtypes of
V. cholerae O1 serotype were found. In addition, the Hikojima subtype, which had not been previously reported in the region, was isolated in two samples. The results show that these
Vibrio species are endemic in the area.
