SANITARY HYGIENIC QUALITY OF TAMBAQUI (Colossoma macropomum) MARKETED IN THE CITY OF SÃO LUÍS - MA

Abstract The identification of the hygienic-sanitary conditions of thTe fish is of is of the utmost importance for the promotion of health and life quality of the population, therefore the purpose of this study was to evaluate the microbiological quality and verify the susceptibility profile to antimicrobials of the isolated bacteria from tambaqui (C. macropomum) marketed in the city of São Luís, Maranhão. The 60 samples of tambaqui, obtained from supermarkets and free markets, were analyzed for the Most Probable Number (MPN) of total coliforms and thermotolerant; search for Escherichia coli; search for Aeromonas spp., and antimicrobial resistance profile. a high total coliform contagion and thermotolerant was detected, besides the presence of pathogenic bacteria, such as: Aeromonas spp. in 56 (93.3%) and E. coli, in 13 (43.3%) of the analyzed samples. Regarding the antimicrobial resistance profile, the isolated of E. coli showed low percentages of resistance and Aeromonas strains had high levels of antimicrobial resistance tested. It can be concluded that the tambaqui marketed in São Luís-MA presents hygienic-sanitary conditions that are inadequate for the consumer.