OPISTHORCHIDAE INFECTION IN COMMERCIAL FISH IN THE OB RIVER AND THE NOVOSIBIRSK RESERVOIR

Abstract

The article presents data on Opisthorchidae metacercariae infection in commercial fish of the carp family from two water bodies, the Novosibirsk Reservoir and the Ob River in the Novosibirsk Region. Opisthorchidae metacercariae were identified in fish muscles using the compression method. The prevalence, the invasion intensity and an abundance index were calculated. The ide, the bream and the roach were studied. The fish were infected by O. felineus, М. bilis and М. xanthosomus metacercariae. In the Ob River, the average prevalence of O. felineus metacercariae in the ide was 69.1%, M. bilis metacercariae, 27%, and M. xanthosomus metacercariae, 17.3%; in the Reservoir, these values were 17.5, 4.8 and 0.6% in the ide, respectively. The River breams were found to be uninfected, and the Reservoir breams had the prevalence of O. felineus, M. bilis and M. xanthosomus metacercariae of 4.4, 7.2 and 1.1%, respectively. The O. felineus metacercariae infection intensity in ides from the River was significantly higher than that the Reservoir. The roach rarely reaches large sizes and is therefore not often found in commercial catches. As a source of Opisthorchidae, it poses much greater danger to domestic and wild carnivores. The Ob River ide is most dangerous to humans from the point of view of infection with Opisthorchidae larval forms.