Parasitological Monitoring of Commercial Fishes From the Bitik Reservoir of the West Kazakhstan Region

The Bitik reservoir is located in the West Kazakhstan Region. The basis of the commercial ichthyofauna of the reservoir consists of local native fish species: rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus), sazan (Cyprinus carpio), bream (Abramis brama), tench (Tinca tinca), roach (Rutilus rutilus), goldfish (Carassius auratus), perch (Perca fluviatillis), sander (Sander lucioperca), catfish (Silurus glanus), and pike (Esox lucius). The research purpose was parasitological monitoring of commercial fish to assess the epizootological situation in the Bitik reservoir. The method of complete parasitological dissection and clinical examination were used to study 120 fish. As a result, metacercariae of trematodes Opisthorchis felineus were found in the muscles of the roach, bream and rudd, and Prosthogonimus ovatus, in the muscles of the tench and pike. Diplostomum spathaceum was found in the eye lens of the pike and roach. In the roach, bream, and goldfish, leeches Piscicola geometra were found on the surface of the body and in the oral cavity. Posthodiplostomum cuticola was found on the fins and skin of the roach, rudd, goldfish and bream. Parasite associations were found in the roach (O. felineus, P. suticola, D. spathaceum, P. geometra), bream (O. felineus, P. suticola, P. geometra), rudd (O. felineus, P. cuticola), pike (P. ovatus, D. spathaceum), and goldfish (P. geometra, P. suticola). One parasite species P. ovatus was identified in the tench. No parasites were found in the sander or perch.