Detection of hemolytic strains of Aeromonas hydrophila and A . sobria along with other Aeromonas spp. from fish and fishery products by multiplex PCR.

Hemolytic strains of Aeromonas spp. from fish and fishery products were detected by multiplex PCR. The selected primers for the amplification of segments of ahh1, asa1 and 16S rRNA gene yielded products with the size of 130 bp, 249 bp and 356 bp, respectively. This assay was found to be highly sensitive, as it could detect 7 and 9 cells of Aeromonas hydrophila and A. sobria with a detection limit of 1 pg of pure genomic DNA. The assay, when screened for 73 commercial fish and fishery product samples consisting of freshwater, marine fish and shellfish, showed 56 % positive for Aeromonas spp., 16 % for Aeromonas hydrophila and 13 % for A. sobria. This assay provides specific and reliable results and can be a powerful tool for the simultaneous detection of hemolytic strains of A. hydrophila A. sobria and other Aeromonas spp. from fish and fishery products.