One health approach through freshwater ecosystem contamination assessment of Sarajevo Region, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Selma Pilić
, Mahir Gajević, Belma Žujo, Aldijana Mušović, Adi Vesnić, Renata Bešta-Gajević
Abstract: Regarding contamination-burdened aquatic ecosystems, we sought to assess how faecal effluents in rivers affect water quality and how sewage hazards affect Barbus meridionalis petenyi Heck.- fish populations. IDEXX defined-substrate assay was applied to enumerate total coliforms, Escherichia coli, faecal coliform, and Enterococci in water. Collected fish individuals from Miljacka River (Bosnia and Herzegovina) at two sampling sites were analysed for E. coli, Salmonella spp., Pseudomonas spp., Listeria monocytogenes, sulfite-reducing clostridia, and S. aureus. Analysis of histopathological granuloma formation was also implemented as an immunity response of fish to pathogens. Results revealed that microbial counts for the different microbiological parameters varied between sampling sites, respectively. The results of the histological analysis indicated that the intensity of granulomas in fish liver, muscle tissues, and gills increases with coliform contamination. Hence, histological indicators in the form of granuloma have been established in all analysed organs with a high correlation to the degree of water pollution. Overall the granulomatous lesions in these animals may indicate infectious diseases that can be associated with environmental contamination.
Keywords: contamination; fish; granulomatous inflammation; microbiology; water
Citation: Pilić, S., Gajević, M., Žujo, B., Mušović, A., Vesnić, A. & Bešta-Gajević, R. (2025). One health approach through freshwater ecosystem contamination assessment of Sarajevo Region, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 31(3), 611–620.
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| Date published: 2025-06-24
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