ISSN: 2577-4050
Authors: FONKWA G*, KOUAM KM, TOMEDI EM, TCHUINKAM T and TCHOUMBOUE
The epidemiology of Myxosporean infections was carried out from May 2016 to May 2017. Thus, 857 Teleosts (350 Oreochromis niloticus, 305 Barbus callipterus, 118 Hemichromis fasciatus and 84 Clarias gariepinus) from the Mayo –Banyo Division in the Sudano-guinean zone of Cameroon were sampled and the prevalence of myxosporean infections was determined after examination of fishes. A total of 21 myxosporean species belonging to four genera (Myxobolus, Myxidium, Henneguya and Thelohanellus) were recorded. The genus Myxobolus exhibited the highest prevalence (37.11%) and Henneguya (0.35%) the lowest. All the four fish species were infected with the genus Myxobolus with the highest (P < 0.001) prevalence in O. niloticus (45.43%) and B. callipterus (45.90%). A total of 325 fishes were infected (37.92%). B. callipterus (48.20%) followed by O. niloticus (45.43%) were the most infected (P < 0.001) compared to C. gariepinus (9.52%) and H. fasciatus (9.32%). The prevalence of parasite species was not correlated (P > 0.05) with the condition factor and fish size except that of Myxobolus tilapiae which was positively correlated with O. niloticus size (r = + 0.17; P < 0.01). Males were significantly (P < 0.001) more infected than females in H. fasciatus only. The overall prevalence was insignificantly (P > 0.05) higher in the dry season than in the rainy season. Out of 12 parasitized organs, O. niloticus and C. gariepinus exhibited the highest (10 organs) and lowest (3 organs) number of infected organs respectively. This study provided some baseline data useful in myxosporean infections prevention and control in fishes from Adamawa-Cameroon.
Keywords: Fish; Myxosporean; Infections; Prevalence; Cameroon
