ASSESSMENT OF THE ANTIMICROBIAL AND CYTOTOXIC POTENTIAL OF ALUMINUM SULPHATE (ALUM) AGAINST SOME FISH PATHOGENS
Reem Alnahass, Dalia Talat, Hala H. Abd El-Latif, Hany M. R. Abdel-Latif and Madiha S. Ibrahim*
ABSTRACT
Aluminum sulphate (alum) is one of the most widely used natural chemical compounds in aquaculture, with variety of bioactivities. This study aimed to assess the antibacterial effect of alum against four microorganisms that cause frequent outbreaks in aquaculture (Pseudomonas fluorescens, Streptococcus agalactiae, Aeromonas hydrophilia and Photobacterium damsel), as well as investigating the cytotoxic activity using a brine shrimp lethality assay. The antibacterial activity of alum was evaluated by agar well diffusion assay. Results revealed that alum possess a strong antibacterial activity against the four tested bacterial strains with a minimum bactericidal concentration of 7.8 mg/ml. Brine shrimp lethality assay was evaluated against alum concentration range of 31.25, 15.62, 7.81, 3.9, 1.95 mg/ml. The number of brine shrimp that survived after 24 h was counted, and the mortality percentage was calculated. Alum showed a strong cytotoxic impact, killing all larvae after 30 min of exposure to all concentrations, even 1.95 mg/ml, which is below the MBC value. In conclusion, alum is a potent antibacterial agent with substantial cytotoxic activity. Further detailed studies are required to determine its toxicity to various fish species and whether it is suitable to use as an in-water treatment agent.
Keywords: Alum, Antibacterial activity, Cytotoxicity, Fish.
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