Parasite community of Oreochromis niloticus from man-made Lake Ayame I, Côte d’Ivoire

The aim of this study was to provide the first information on the parasitic infestation on Nil Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus in a man-made Lake Ayame I. A total of 278 fish were sampled between January and December 2019 and were examined for parasites using standard parasitological methods. The parasites recorded were the Monogeneans (Cichlidogyrus thurstonae, C. halli, C. tilapiae, C. rognoni, C. cirratus and Scutogyrus longicornis), the Myxosporeans (Myxobolus tilapiae and M. camerounensis), the Copepods (Lamproglena monody and Lernaea sp.), the Acanthocephalan (Acanthogyrus tilapiae), the Nematodes (Paracamallanus cyathopharynx and Contracaecum sp.), the Trematode (Clinostomum sp.) and Cestode (Diphyllobothrium latum). The infestation was predominantly by Monogeneans species. Generally, the highest parasitic infection was observed during the rainy seasons. Gills were highly parasitized by Monogeneans. The gut was highly parasitized principally by Nematodes, Acanthocephalan and Cestode. The presence of parasites such as Clinostomum, Contracaecum and Diphyllobothrium species represents the potential public health risks, as these parasites are recognized to infect humans from consumption of raw or inadequately cooked fish. Therefore, appropriate control measures should be put in place in the Lake so as to avoid infection of the fish. Moreover, public awareness creation activities should be conducted on zoonotic nature of fish parasites and danger of consumption of raw or undercooked fish.