DETECTION OF PREVALENCE OF INTESTINAL PARASITES IN FRESHWATER FISH LIZA ABU FROM EUPHRATES RIVER, AL-DIWANIYAH CITY – IRAQ

Abstract

A 176 samples of freshwater fish Liza abu were fishing from Euphrates river in the AlDiwaniyah city – Iraq , to investigate of some intestinal parasite , identify the rate of infection with this parasites and then determining the relationship between temperature and prevalence of parasitic infection rates , for the period between October 2020 and March 2021. All fish examined by using laboratory methods to detected intestinal parasitic infection. The results revealed that the total infection rate of prevalence of intestinal parasites in Liza abu was 75.56%, and the results recorded presence of five different species of parasites were isolated from freshwater fish which are as follows: Three species belonging to two classes of protozoan : Sporozoa (Cryptosporidium sp. and Eimeria sp.) and one species belonged to Ciliata which is Tetrahymena sp. with an infection rate 55.68% , 35.79% and 17.61% respectively. Two species belong to parasitic helminthes : Eustrongylides sp.(Nematodes) with an infection rate 22.73%, and the other species is related to Neoechinorhynchus sp. (Acanthocephalans) with an infection rate of 44.88%. Also results showed a significant difference in infection rates during the months of the study, the highest percentage of infection was appeared during March and February which reached 93.94% and 91.67% respectively, while the infection rate decreased in January (45.0%)