Prevalence and Parasitological Examination of Fish Parasites in Clarias gariefinus from Selected Fish Farms in Sokoto Metropolis, Nigeria

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Study’s Excerpt The prevalence of fish parasites in fish farms within the Sokoto metropolis is assessed. The results revealed high prevalence of Camallanus spp. and Capillaria spp. among fish populations. Water quality analysis revealed that there is interaction between physicochemical parameters and parasite prevalence. A comprehensive approach to fish farm management and disease control is provided. Full Abstract Fish are known to be affected by parasites both internally and externally with detrimental effects on fish growth and development. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of fish parasites in selected fish farms in the Sokoto metropolis. A total of one hundred and twenty fish samples were collected from ten selected fish farms and subjected to microscopic examination. Water samples were collected from ten fish farms and analysed using the standard procedures recommended by the American Public Health Association. The results indicate that 35.0% of the fish were infected with the parasite (P<0.0300). Significant high prevalence of 50.0% and 48.1% was recorded in the gender and age groups of the fishes (P<0.0308) and (P=0.0003), respectively. However, a significantly high prevalence of 47.6%, 49.1% and 31.7% was also observed in the length, weight, and body part of the fishes (P<0.0.0000). This study identified two nematode species (Camallanus spp. and Capellaria spp.) with Camallanus spp. showing a higher prevalence of 60.3% was obtained in Camellanus spp. among the parasite species identified. The parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen (DO) and nitrate (NO3) were assessed, and results were analysed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with the aid of SPSS version 27.0. The values of the physicochemical parameters were between the range of 6.68+0.11 to 7.83±0.05 for pH, 5.23+0.03 to 8.17±0.88 mg/L for DO, and 13.70+1.37 to 100.33+0.33 for NO3 respectively. All parameters examined were within acceptable limits recommended by the World Health Organization. Maintaining an optimum feeding strategy, regular monitoring of the water quality parameters and vaccinations will help to further decrease the rate of the parasite.