Antibacterial activity of Allium sativum against multidrug-resistant Vibrio harveyi isolated from black gill–diseased Fenneropenaeus indicus

The present study evaluated the in vitro and in vivo inhibitory effects of Allium sativum extracts against the multidrug-resistant Vibrio harveyi, isolated from the black gill-diseased Fenneropenaeus indicus. Initially, the antibiogram of pathogenic V. harveyi was documented for its resistance towards selected commercial antibiotics. Further, antibacterial activity of A. sativum against Vibrio harveyi was performed by the agar well diffusion method. V. harveyi culture was seeded over the agar plates, and each of the garlic extracts (freshly squeezed garlic extract--FSGE, freeze-dried garlic extract--FDGE and methanolic garlic extract--MGE) was tested at three different concentrations. FSGE showed greater inhibitory activity against V. harveyi than FDGE and MGE. Three diets of standard meal preparation for shrimp containing 0% garlic as a control, 0.5% garlic and 1% garlic treatments were formulated to evaluate the effects of garlic on the experimental infection of shrimp with V. harveyi. The combined results of long- and short-term garlic (1%) extract treatment showed a 75% reduction in cumulative mortality. The present study discusses the advantages of using freshly squeezed garlic extract treatment in shrimp culture that could offer a promising alternative to the use of antibiotics in aquaculture to control disease.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]