Infection status with trematode metacercariae in the fresh-water fish from Chunamchosuchi (pond), Uichang-gun, Kyongsangnam-do, Korea

Abstract

The present study was performed to analyze the infection status of trematode metacercariae in fishes caught from Chunamchosuchi (pond) located in Uichang-gun, Kyongsangnam-do. A total of 130 freshwater fish of 5 species was collected by a fish net and fish traps from November, 1995 to May, 1996. They were examined under a stereomicroscope after artificial digestion with pepsin-HCl solution. A total of 8 species of metacercaria, i.e. Clonorchis sinensis, Echinochasmus japonicus, Cyathocotyle orientalis, Diplostomum sp., Metorchis orientalis, Holostephanus nipponicus, Exorchis oviformis and unidentified echinostome, was detected from them. The metacercariae of C. sinenesis were found in 8/20 (40.0%) Acanthorhodeus asmussi, 20/20 (100%) Culter brevicauda, 31/45 (68.9) Cultriculus eigenmanni and 21/25 (84.0%) Pseudorasbora parva, and the average number of metacercariae detected in each fish species were 1.9, 31.7, 15.3, and 73.0. From the above results, it was confirmed that fresh-water fishes from Chunamchosuchi (pond) were highly infected with metacercariae of avian trematode, i.e. C. orientalis, H. nipponicus, M. orientalis, E. japonicus and Diplostomum sp., and 4 species of fish, P. parva, C. brevicauda, C. eigenmanni and A. asmussi, were infected with metacaecariae of C. sinensis.