Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites of Clarias gariepinus and Oreochromis niloticus fishes in Suleja, Niger State, Nigeria.
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Abstract
This study investigated the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites of Clarias gariepinus (African catfish) and Oreochromis niloticus (Tilapia) sampled from fish ponds and open rivers in Suleja, Niger State, Nigeria. A total number of 100 fish specimens comprising 50 each of C. gariepinus and O. niloticus was examined between August and October 2025, using direct smear, flotation, and sedimentation parasitological techniques. The present study observed that the fishes sampled from open rivers showed significantly higher infection rates of 60% and 76%, for C. gariepinus and O. niloticus respectively; however, fishes sampled from the ponds did not have parasitic infections. This study shows a prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites of 73% and 50% for male and female catfish respectively, compared to their counterpart in tilapia species, 89% and 69%. Based on age, adult and juvenile catfish fishes had prevalence rates of 70% and 20% respectively, in comparison with tilapia, 93% and 55%. Gastrointestinal infections associated with the open rivers were more observed in the adults (93% and 70% of O. niloticus and C. gariepinus, respectively) than in the juveniles. The parasites identified include Camallanus spp., Contracaecum spp., Capillaria spp., Echinostoma cinetorchis, and Neascus spp. Statistical analysis showed significant differences (p<0.05) in parasite prevalence based on sex and age of the fish. These findings establish the importance of proper fish culture, aquacultural management, and regular parasitic screening in both cultured and wild fish populations.
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