Parasite fauna associated with the Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus L. (Cichlidae) from fish farms in Southern Benin (West Africa)
Pages : 624-630, DOI: https://doi.org/10.14741/ijmcr/v.7.5.4Download PDF
Aquaculture appears nowadays as the best strategy for filling the gap between people’s demand for animal protein and current captures of wild fishes. Achieving this goal requires the breeding of suitable fishes, especially Oreochromis niloticus whose consumption is very common in Benin. Whereas success of this fish species production required convenient conditions for the growth of the fishes without parasite trouble. Parasites of O. niloticus were investigated in three fish farms located in Southern Benin, from August to December 2014. A total of 525 specimens of O. niloticus were examined for the occurrence of external and internal parasites. Fish were monthly sampling during this period and water from these farms were also sampled for physico-chemical analyses. A total of 18 parasites taxa were recorded including only one protozoan (coccidia) and four metazoan parasites namely myxosporea, monogenea, cestodea and acanthocephala. There was no significant difference between the prevalence of coccidian and myxosporea (P >0.05). No significant differences were observed either between prevalence according to males and females or among fish size groups for parasite prevalence. Whereas influence of season on fish parasitism was not evident, analyses of the physicochemical parameters revealed significant differences only for conductivity on L1 and BOD5 at L3.
Keywords : Aquaculture, metazoan parasites, prevalence, protozoan parasites