Studies on heterophyid infections among some fishes in Egypt

ABSTRACT

A total number of 300 fishes [Oreochromis niloticus, Mugil cephalus and fingerling of Ctenopharyngodon idella "grass carp"] were collected from river Nile at Giza, Wadi Al-Rayan [Fayoum province] and Abbassa aquaculture [Sharkiya province] respectively. Encysted metacercariae of the heterophyid were collected from the muscles and gills of the examined fish, with prevalence 74.33%.Three groups each consisted of one pigeon [Columbia livia domestica] and one heron [Ardea ibis ibis], which were experimentally fed with heterophyid metacercariae collected from examined fishes. The fourth group [one pigeon and one heron] was kept as non-infected controls. Pygidiopsis genata, P. summa, Centrocestus armatus, Heterophyes equalis, H. dispar and H. heroni n.sp. were recovered from the intestinal mucosa, one week post infection. These parasites are of zoonotic importance. Histopathological effect of encysted metacercariae and obtained flukes was studied