Investigation of Parasitic Helminthes Infections of Fish caught from Aras River

Abstract

Background & objectives: Fishes are one of the most important sources of zoonotic parasites throughout the world. This study aimed to determine helminthic parasites of Fish caught in the Aras River. Methods: During 2020-2021, a number of 100 fishes including 20 Cyprinus carpio, 10 Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, 5 Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, 12 Silurus glanis, 5 Aspius aspius, 15 Ratilus rutilus, 3 Sander lucioperca, 22 Luciobarbus capito, and 8 Abramis brama were caught. All parts of the fish body (scales, gills, eyes, muscles, gastrointestinal tract) were examined for Helminthes parasites. After clearing and temporarily staining with Lactophenol-Azokarmin, morphological characters of worms were analyzed using a calibrated microscope equipped with a camera. Results: After examining and evaluating the samples, 18 (18%) of the fish were infected with at least with one helminthic parasite. The species and percent of infection were as follows: Ligula intestinalis plerocercoid: Cyprinus carpio 40%, Ratilus rutilus 13.33%, Abramis brama 12.5% in the abdominal cavity. Bothriocephalus sp.: Cyprinus carpio 5% in the intestine. Diplozoon sp.: Cyprinus carpio 5% and Ratilus rutilus each 6.7% in gills. Dactylogyrus sp.: Cyprinus carpio 10%, Abramis brama 12.5% in gills. Clinostomum sp. metacercariae: Cyprinus carpio 5% infected with metacercaria in gills and abdominal cavity. Conclusion: Among the investigated types of fish, the highest level of infection with helminthic parasites was found in common carp. Also, among the helminthic parasites found, the highest frequency is related to Ligula intestinalis, followed by Dactylogyrus

Keywords

• parasitic helminthes
• fish
• aras river