Isolation of Intestinal Parasites of Schilbe Mystus from the Mid Cross River Flood System Southeastern Nigeria
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AASCIT Journal of Health 2015; 2(4): 26-31 Published online July 20, 2015 (http://www.aascit.org/journal/health) Isolation of Intestinal Parasites of Schilbe mystus from the Mid Cross River Flood System Southeastern Nigeria Uneke Bilikis Iyabo, Egboruche Joy Dept of Applied Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria Email address [email protected] (U. B. Iyabo), [email protected] (U. B. Iyabo) Citation Keywords Uneke Bilikis Iyabo, Egboruche Joy. Isolation of Intestinal Parasites of Schilbe mystus from the Intestinal Parasites, Mid Cross River Flood System Southeastern Nigeria. AASCIT Journal of Health. Nematodes, Vol. 2, No. 4, 2015, pp. 26-31. Trematodes, Cestodes, Abstract Protozoans, A survey of Schilbe mystus of the mid Cross River flood system was conducted between Acanthocephalans, August and October, 2014 to determine the presence of parasitic infection in S. mystus . Schilbe mystus The fish were collected with gill nets, hook and line. Seventy five out of the one hundred fish examined were infected (75.0%) with parasites. The end oparasites recovered were mostly nematodes, trematodes, cestodes, protozoa and acanthocephalans. Numerical abundance of parasites showed that a total of 128 species of end oparasites occurred in Received: June 30, 2015 the fish examined. Nematodes had 33.6% (43/128), trematodes 11.7% (15/128), Revised: July 10, 2015 cestodes 24.2% (31/128), protozoa 12.5% (16/128) and acanthocephalan 18.0% Accepted: July 11, 2015 (23/128). The prevalence of end oparasites of the fish showed that parasites were most prevalent in fishes with length Class 14.1-16 cm TL with 67.2% while class 21.1-22cm had the least prevalence (1.60%). This weight graph showed that those within the range of 11-15(g) had the highest prevalence rate (30.6%) while those within the range of 36-40(g) had the least of prevalence (2.76%). Sex wise distribution of parasites amongst the study population showed that female fish were more infected than male fishes. Fishes from the river system should be properly cooked or smoked before consumption to avoid health risk due to ingestion of the parasites. 1. Introduction Most fish carry pathogens and parasites. Usually this is at some cost to the fish. If the cost is sufficiently high, then the impacts can be characterized as a disease (Idodo-Umeh, 2003). All of the major groups of animal parasites are found in fish, and apparently healthy wild fish often carry heavy parasite burdens. Parasites with direct life cycles can be important pathogens of cultured fish; parasites with indirect life cycles frequently use fish as intermediate hosts. Knowledge of specific fish hosts greatly facilitates identification of parasites with marked host and tissue specificity, while others are recognized because of their common occurrence and lack of host specificity. Examination of fresh smears that contain living parasites is often diagnostic. Like humans and other animals, fish suffer from diseases and parasites. Fish defenses against disease are specific and non-specific. Non-specific defenses include skin and scales, as well as the mucus layer secreted by the epidermis that traps microorganisms and inhibits their growth. If pathogens breach these defenses, fish can develop inflammatory responses that increase the flow of blood to infected areas and deliver white blood cells that attempt to destroy the pathogens. Specific defenses are specialized responses to particular pathogens recognized by the fish's body, 27 Uneke Bilikis Iyabo and Egboruche Joy: Isolation of Intestinal Parasites of Schilbe mystus from the Mid Cross River Flood System Southeastern Nigeria which is adaptative immune responses (Okaka, 1991). In (Ekanem et al., 2011) and like other catfishes are heavily recent years, vaccines have become widely used in exploited. Past work on biology of members of family aquaculture and ornamental fish, for example vaccines for Schilbeidae in Nigeria aquatic ecosystems were mainly on furunculosis in farmed salmon and koi herpes virus in koi their food and feeding habits and reproduction (Oniye et al ., (Okaka, 1991). The most common parasites of fish are 2004; Imam and Dewu, 2010; Awharitowa and Ehigiator, protozoa. These include species found on external surfaces 2012). Thus, this paper seeks to identify the possible and species found in specific organs. Most protozoa have intestinal parasites of Schilbe mystus , determine the various direct life cycles, but the myxosporidia require an classes of the parasites observed in the fishes, determine the invertebrate intermediate host. Parasites in fish are a natural frequency distribution of the parasites isolated and access the occurrence and common. Parasites can provide information parasitic load in relation to sex and fish length of the fish about host population ecology. In fisheries biology, for sample from the mid Cross River flood system, Southeastern example, parasite communities can be used to distinguish Nigeria. distinct populations of the same fish species co-inhabiting a region. Additionally, parasites possess a variety of 2. Materials and Methods specialized traits and life-history strategies that enable them to colonize hosts. Understanding these aspects of parasite 2.1. Study Area ecology, of interest in their own right, can illuminate parasite-avoidance strategies employed by hosts (Okaka, The study area is the middle course of the Cross River 1998). Usually parasites (and pathogens) need to avoid system located at Ndibe in Afikpo North local government killing their hosts, since extinct hosts can mean extinct Area of Ebonyi state. It is about 5km east eastwards away parasites. Evolutionary constraints may operate so parasites from Afikpo main town. This part of Cross River system avoid killing their hosts, or the natural variability in host forms the basic border between Ebonyi state and Cross River defensive strategies may suffice to keep host populations state. Cross River is a major component of the inland waters of viable. Parasite infections can impair the courtship dance of South Eastern Nigeria and its role to the fishery of the area is male three spine sticklebacks. When that happens, the quite significant (Okoh et al ., 2007). Cross River originates females reject them, suggesting a strong mechanism for the from Cameroon and flows through Ebonyi State and Cross selection of parasite resistance (Okaka and Akhigbe, 1999). River State into the Atlantic Ocean. The river (Fig. 1) (Okoh et al ., 2007) lies in the area between 5 057” latitude However not all parasites want to keep their hosts alive, and 0 0 0 there are parasites with multistage life cycles who go to some 5 30’20”North and 7 58” longitude 5 30’20” East. The trouble to kill their host. For example, some tapeworms make approximate surface area of the Cross River is 3,900,000 ha some fish behave in such a way that a predatory bird can (Ita et al ., 1985). The rainy seasonand the dry season are the catch it. The predatory bird is the next host for the parasite in two main seasons of the area. The vegetation around the river the next stage of its life cycle Specifically, the tapeworm is predominately grasses, tall and thin palm trees, and bamboo Schistocephalus solidus turns infected three spine plants and elephant grasses unevenly distributed. Hence, the stickleback white, and then makes them more buoyant so that vegetation and the ecological built of the area attract some they splash along at the surface of the water, becoming easy activities such as recreation (escortion, picnic), fishing, to see and easy to catch for a passing bird. Other parasitic lumbering farming activities as well as sand mining due to the disorders includes; Gyrodactylus salaris , Ichthyophthirius presence of sand banks. A mini market is located beside the multifiliis , cryptocaryon, velvet disease, Brooklynella river where fishes are marketed immediately they are caught. hostilis , Hole in the head, Glugea , Ceratomyxashasta , However, in most cases, fishes are transported to other areas Kudoathyrsites , Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae , of Ebonyi state and Cross River state. There is also water Cymothoaexigua , leeches, nematode, flukes, carp lice and fluctuation in the Cross River system with season which goes salmon lice. Some internal fish parasites are spectacular, a long way to determine the agricultural activities of the such as the philometrid nematode Philometra fasciati which occupants during each period. During the dry season, is parasitic in the ovary of female Blacktip grouper the adult (between November and March), some areas of the river floor female parasite is a red worm which can reach up to 40 is seen and covered with sand hence fishing activities is centimetres in length, for a diameter of only 1.6 millimetre; usually hampered and most fishermen would abandon their the males are tiny. Schilbe mystus and Schilbe intermedius fishing activities and change over to sand mining. During the belongs to family Schilbeidae and is a siluroid catfish of raining season (April- September), water levels will increase commercial importance. The schilbeid catfish are salient and reverse the activities of the people. components of the ichthyofauna of many freshwater bodies AASCIT Journal of Health 2015; 2(4): 26-31 28 Fig. 1. Map of Afikpo North Local Government Area showing the sampling locations in the Cross River basin (Okoh et al., 2007). 2.2. Sample Collection species level using key provided by Olaosebikan and Raji (1998). The standard length (from the snout to the tip of A total of 100 fish specimen were collected from local caudal fin) were measured to 0.1cm and recorded accordingly. fishermen at the beach site for a period of three months The weight of each fish was measured to the nearest 0.1g on a (August-October, 2014).The fishes used for this study were top electronic weighing balance. Each fish sample was caught by local fishermen at Ndibe River of the Cross River assigned a reference.