Introduction

• Edwardsiella spp. are biochemically similar to E. coli. The Edwardsiella tarda species produces hydrogen sulfide which causes gastroenteritis and can even infect open wounds in humans. (Science Direct, 2012)

• Edwardsiella spp. is the species and has at least three known types: Edwardsiella hoshinae, Edwardsiella ictaluri, Edwardsiella tarda. (Science Direct, 2012)

• Edwardsiella spp. is mainly a bacteria that effects fish in the ocean, but there are types that can effect the open fields eosystems. However, in this research, it studies the fish in their habitat. 

• The experiment, "Comparison of antimicrobial susceptibility, β-lactamase production, plasmid analysis and serum bactericidal activity in Edwardsiella tarda, E. ictaluri and E. hoshinae," studies if the three species are pathogenically related or just related by DNA. (Reger et al. 1993)

Background

• Prokaryotic, single-celled (Science Direct, 2012)

• Predominantly native to freshwater environments (Science Direct, 2012)

• It mainly takes over the guts of fish off the coast of East Asia and some areas of the United States (Microbewiki, 2016)

• Also found in the intestinal tracts of birds, reptiles, and mammals (Microbewiki, 2016)

• Edwardsiella tarda is the only species humans can be infected with (Science Direct, 2012)

• A budding bacteria; reproduces by outgrowth of buds growing to parent size (Science Direct, 2012)

Data Analysis

The results showed that 47 profiles for the E. hoshinae species were similar to the E. tarda and E. ictaluri species for the beta-lactam agents, quinolones and the protein synthesis inhibitors gentamicin, & doxycycline.

(Reger et al. 1993)