Physicochemical Water Quality Influence on the Parasite Biodiversity in Juvenile Tilapia (<i>Oreochromis</i> spp.) Farmed at <i>Valle Del Mezquital</i> in the Central-Eastern Socioeconomic Region of Mexico
Víctor-Johan Acosta-Pérez,
Vicente Vega-Sánchez,
Tomás-Eduardo Fernández-Martínez,
Andrea-Paloma Zepeda-Velázquez,
Nydia-Edith Reyes-Rodríguez,
Jesús-Benjamín Ponce-Noguez,
Armando Peláez-Acero,
Jorge-Luis de-la-Rosa-Arana,
Fabián-Ricardo Gómez-De-Anda
Affiliations
Víctor-Johan Acosta-Pérez
Área Académica de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Tulancingo de Bravo 43600, Hidalgo, Mexico
Vicente Vega-Sánchez
Área Académica de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Tulancingo de Bravo 43600, Hidalgo, Mexico
Tomás-Eduardo Fernández-Martínez
Área Académica de Medicina, Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud, Pachuca 42090, Hidalgo, Mexico
Andrea-Paloma Zepeda-Velázquez
Área Académica de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Tulancingo de Bravo 43600, Hidalgo, Mexico
Nydia-Edith Reyes-Rodríguez
Área Académica de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Tulancingo de Bravo 43600, Hidalgo, Mexico
Jesús-Benjamín Ponce-Noguez
Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad de la Costa, Pinotepa Nacional 71600, Oaxaca, Mexico
Armando Peláez-Acero
Área Académica de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Tulancingo de Bravo 43600, Hidalgo, Mexico
Jorge-Luis de-la-Rosa-Arana
Microbiología en Salud Humana, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Cuautitlan Izcalli, 54743, Estado de Mexico, Mexico
Fabián-Ricardo Gómez-De-Anda
Área Académica de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Tulancingo de Bravo 43600, Hidalgo, Mexico
Aquaculture parasite biodiversity dependents on multiple environmental characteristics, including water quality. The analysis of this relationship aims to support improvements in the production management of tilapia. For this purpose, a total of 100 juvenile fishes (Oreochromis spp.) and 30 water samples were collected at Valle del Mezquital in the Central-Eastern socioeconomical region of Mexico. A study of parasite biodiversity was carried out and water quality parameters were determined. Biodiversity in the habitat was measured using the Simpson diversity index, which considers the number of species present and the abundance of each one; we also calculate the Berger-Parker index to estimate the proportional importance of the most abundant species. In general, it was found that 86% of the examined specimens were parasitized. Parasite biodiversity was 11 genera (Simpson index = 0.55). Trichodina spp. (Ciliophora) was the dominant genus (Berger-Parker index = 0.51). The protozoa Apiosoma spp. was associated with the water hardness (Berger-Parker index = 0.57). Furthermore, the presence of monogeneans showed a positive correlation with the levels of nitrites and ammonium in the water (Berger-Parker index = 0.06–0.55). This characterization may represent a useful tool in the comprehensive management of parasites that affect the farmed tilapia. However, new data is necessary to expand the knowledge about the environment-host-parasite relationship.