Aeromonas characteristics in Iran, Southwest Asia; a systematic review and meta-analysis on epidemiology, reservoirs and antibiotic resistance profile from aquatic environments to human society during 2000-2023.

Summary: Imagine a microscopic hitchhiker lurking in water and food sources. A comprehensive study analyzed Aeromonas bacteria in Iran over the last two decades (2000–2023). While these bacteria were found in only about 1% of human clinical cases, they were surprisingly common in aquatic animals and food products, appearing in over 21% of samples. The most concerning finding is that these bacteria are building strong defenses, showing high resistance to common antibiotics like ampicillin and tetracycline. This suggests that while human infection rates are currently low, the aquaculture and food industries need stricter monitoring to prevent these drug-resistant "superbugs" from spreading further.