Experimental study of the coccidial infection on growth performance of juvenile of Clarias gariepinus Burchell, 1822 (Poisson, Siluriformes)
Pages : 876-887, DOI: https://doi.org/10.14741/ijmcr/v.6.4.32Download PDF
The study focused on the characterization and quantification of the effects of coccidiosis on intensive rearing of Clarias gariepinus production. The first phase of works, performed on 117 specimens of C. gariepinus consisted of the collection of oocysts of Coccidia which served as inoculum. The experimental phase was conducted on 81 juvenile of C. gariepinus divided into three groups (T, I and II) including 27 fish specimens per group. Group T served as control group; groups I and II were infected orally with respectively 600 and 500 oocysts from the inoculum. The results show a high parasite load in adult specimens of C. gariepinus harvested in the wild. The collection of oocysts has allowed to identify four (04) species of Cyclospora and two (02) species of Eimeria. After infection of juvenile of C. gariepinus, the presence of lesions including intestinal congestion and stomach distension indicates the pathogenic effects of the infestation. The performance analysis showed that the weight of juvenile from control group is significantly higher (p <0.001) than those from infected groups I and II at D7, D14 and D21. Groups I and II also show weight loss at D7 and D21, characterizing negative specific growth rate (SGR), particular for group II. Infestation rates of groups I and II are respectively 33.33% and 29.62%. These results show a real impact of coccidiosis on juvenile of C. gariepinus bred in captivity, including the effectiveness of heavy infestation and deteriorating of growth performance of fish.
Keywords: Clarias gariepinus, Cyclospora spp, Eimeria spp, Lesions, Growth performance, Mortality rate