Prevalence of Endoparasites and Haematology in Redbelly Tilapia from a Shallow Tropical Reservoir in Ghana

Abstract

The goal of this study was to assess common endoparasites on  Tilapia zillii  in the Tono Reservoir, as well as to investigate the mean intensity and prevalence of these parasites. A total of 175 fish specimens were examined during the study. Endoparasites of three metazoans and one protozoan were observed from the  Tilapia zillii  gills, intestines, and stomach. The findings showed that the most common endoparasites affecting  Tilapia zillii  are  Ichthyopthirius multifiliis,  Bothriocephalus  sp.,  Contracaecum  sp., and  Dactylogyrus  sp. Also,  Contracaecum  sp had the highest prevalence of 29.71, followed by  Bothriocephalus  sp (18.86),  Ichthyopthirius multifiliis  (12), and  Dactylogyrus  sp (6.86). The average quantity of  Bothriocephalus  sp was 0.84,  Contracaecum  sp was 1.33,  Dactylogyrus  sp was 0.31, and  Ichthyopthirius multifiliis  was 0.54. The reservoir's physicochemical parameters changed every month due to inflows and other runoffs joining. Low levels of these parameters were discovered to influence the prevalence and distribution of these parasites. Haematological parameters showed significant changes between the adult and fingerling groups, where it was observed an improvement in health status in the adult group. It was also observed that fingerlings (0.1 €“20 g) were more infected, which significantly affected their blood profile.

Keywords:  Tilapia  zillii, endoparasite, blood profile, pathogenic effects, environmental stress