الفهرس Only 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 107 |  |  |
| | | from | 107 | | |
Abstract
from this study it could be concluded that Atherina fish (marine
and fresh water Atherina sp.) harbored different types of larval helminth
parasites including trematode metacercariae, anisakid larvae and
plerocercoid larvae of Pseudophylidae family. Also, the overall prevalence
of helminth larvae was higher in fresh water Atherina than that in marine
species. Fresh water Atherina sp. exhibited a higher infection rate with
encysted metacercariae than observed in marine water Atherina, while
anisakid and plerocercoid larvae were only recovered from marine water
Atherina fish.
The recovered metacercariae were developed, after experimental
infection of puppies, into adult worms of five trematode species belonging
to 4 families of Heterophyidae, Haplorchidae, Prohemistomatidae and
Echinostomatidae. All of these recovered trematodes have a zoonotic
importance. Additionally, Atherina fish showed higher occurrence of
metacercariae in summer season followed by spring and winter seasons
suggesting the influence of environmental and climatic factors on the
prevalence of these helminth larvae in Atherina fish.
Collectively, this study reflected the role of Atherina sp. as a
potential reservoir for dissemination of such zoonotic helminth larvae.
It could also be concluded that different treatment processes
applied to infected Atherina fish such as addition of vinegar, marination
and freezing could , to some extent, inactivate anisakid larvae found in
muscles and viscera of marine Atherina fish. The study recommended that freezing of Atherina fish at -20°C for 24 hours will kill all infective larvae.