Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity
Vol. 26 No. 11 (2025)

Pathogenicity of Aeromonas hydrophila on the liver function of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

MUH MULTAZAM B. H. ABD HAKIM (Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Universitas Hasanuddin. Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan Km. 10, Makassar 90245, South Sulawesi, Indonesia)
HILAL ANSHARY (Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Universitas Hasanuddin. Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan Km. 10, Makassar 90245, South Sulawesi, Indonesia)
MUHAMMAD IQBAL DJAWAD (Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Universitas Hasanuddin. Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan Km. 10, Makassar 90245, South Sulawesi, Indonesia)
MUHAMMAD REZA PERDIANSYAH (Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Universitas Hasanuddin. Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan Km. 10, Makassar 90245, South Sulawesi, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
27 Nov 2025

Abstract

Abstract. Abd Hakim MMBH, Anshary H, Djawad MI, Perdiansyah MR. 2025. Pathogenicity of Aeromonas hydrophila on the liver function of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus). Biodiversitas 26: 5430-5437. Aeromonas hydrophila is a major bacterial pathogen in African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) aquaculture, responsible for systemic infection, tissue damage, and high mortality. This study investigated the pathogenic effects of graded acute infections on liver function and histopathology of African catfish under controlled laboratory conditions. Seventy-two fish were allocated to three bacterial treatment groups with increasing concentrations and a control group, each with three replicates. After seven days, blood samples were analyzed for ten biochemical indicators of hepatic function, including plasma proteins, transaminases, bilirubin, bile acids, cholesterol, and liver enzymes, while histopathological examinations were conducted on liver tissues. The infection induced significant alterations in albumin, globulin, total protein, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and total bilirubin, reflecting impaired plasma protein synthesis, amino acid metabolism, glucose regulation, and bilirubin conjugation. In contrast, gamma-glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase, total bile acids, and cholesterol remained stable, suggesting that the infection predominantly caused hepatocellular rather than cholestatic injury. Histopathological changes were consistent with the biochemical results, showing progressive vacuolar degeneration, inflammatory infiltration, hemorrhage, and hepatocellular necrosis in a dose-dependent manner. Together, these findings provide integrated evidence of liver dysfunction and pathology in C. gariepinus following acute A. hydrophila infection. The identified biomarkers and histological alterations may serve as reliable indicators of disease progression and offer valuable insights for the development of therapeutic interventions, health prognosis, and sustainable management strategies in catfish aquaculture.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

biodiv

Publisher

Subject

Agriculture, Biological Sciences & Forestry Biochemistry, Genetics & Molecular Biology

Description

The Biodiversitas Journal was first published in 2000 by the Department of Biology, FMNS, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Indonesia, then in 2006 it was co-published by the Society for Indonesian Biodiversity and that department; since 2017 it was also hosted by Smujo. From 2003-2012 it was ...