LONGIBUCCA CATESBEIANAE (NEMATODA: CYLINDROCORPORIDAE) EN LA RANA-TORO LITHOBATES CATESBEIANUS (ANURA: AMPHIBIA) DE LAS GRANJAS DE RANAS EN EL ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO, BRASIL

Most parasites represent a serious socioeconomic problem, because they affect pets, commercially raised, wild, and zoonotic animals. Weight loss, growth retardation, predisposition to other diseases and death are symptoms presented by the parasitized animals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the helminth fauna in bull-frog Lithobates catesbeianus raised for sale. We worked with five frog farms in the Vale do Paraiba, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and examined a total of 185 animals. The autopsies were performed, and all bodies that may have parasites were examined. Diagnostic parasitology tests were also performed. We found one species of nematode, Longibucca catesbeianae, with a prevalence of 1.7%, mean abundance of 14.16 and an average intensity of 850 (with a range of 729 to 1014). Given that most studies of parasitology in amphibians is conducted in free-living animals, more research on frogs in captivity should be performed to better understand these pests and prevent future problems in the operations frog farm.