International Journal of Aquaculture, 2015, Vol.5, No.4, 1
-
5
1
Research Report Open Access
Ecto-parasites Infestation of Nile Tilapia (
Oreochromis niloticus
) in Concrete
Ponds in Tamale, Ghana
K. Baidoo
1
, S.M. Abobi
1
E. Agbeko
2
1. Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management, University for Development Studies, P.O. Box 1882 Tamale, Ghana
2. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Water Research Institute, Fishery Division, P.O. Box TL 695, Tamale, Ghana
Corresponding author Email
International Journal of Aquaculture, 2015, Vol.5, No.4 doi: 10.5376/ija.2015.05.0004
Received: 12 Feb, 2015
Accepted: 15 Mar, 2015
Published: 30 Apr., 2015
Copyright © 2015
Baidoo et al., This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted
use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Preferred citation for this article
:
Baidoo et al., 2015, Ecto-parasites Infestation of Nile Tilapia (
Oreochromis niloticus
) in Concrete Ponds in Tamale, Ghana, International Journal of
Aquaculture, Vol.5, No.4 1-5 (doi: 10.5376/ija.2015.05.0004)
Abstract
The demand for concrete pond culture in the Northern Ghana is increasing. The safety and health of Nile tilapia produced
in concrete ponds is of public concern. This study investigated the prevalence and mean intensities of ecto-parasites on the gills, skin
and the fin of Nile tilapia (
Oreochromis
niloticus
) in some concrete ponds in Tamale, Northern Region of Ghana. A total number of
240 randomly sampled fish specimens consisting fingerlings and adult fish of Nile tilapia were examined using microscope and
hand-held lens from November, 2013 to April, 2014. Physico-chemical characteristics of the pond were suitable for culture. Mean
temperature was 28.48
℃
±2.31, mean dissolved oxygen was 4.32 mg/l ±0.38, mean pH was 6.17 ±0.23 and mean nitrate was
30.60 ppm ±1.03. A total of 35 of the specimens examined were infested with ecto-parasites representing a prevalence of 15% during
the study period. Out of 155 fingerlings examined, 14.8% were infested while 85 adult fish examined had 14.1% infested with
ecto-parasites. The prevalence rate encountered was
Ichthyophthirius multifilis
(60%) ≥
Trichodina
sp (23%) ≥ monogeneans
(17%).The mean intensity of
Trichodina
sp
ranged from 0 to 2.5. Monogeneans and
Ichthyophthirius multifilis
mean intensity ranged
from 0 to 1.7. The low prevalence and intensities of ecto-parasites recorded indicated that with good water quality, ecto-parasites may
not pose a threat to
O. niloticus
production in concrete pond.
Keywords
Oreochromis niloticus
;
Intensity; Prevalence; Tamale
1Introduction
Fish form a major component in the diet of the
protein- deficient majority of the rural poor in the
northern Ghana FAO (2005). Recent advances in fish
farming, especially with some African Cichlids, have
alleviated hunger in many parts of the world (FAO, 2005;
Aquaculture production, 2004). Among numerous
factors that affect the production of Cichlids particularly
Nile tilapia, one important factor which is often
overlooked is parasitic infections and diseases. Tilapia
is becoming the most cultured fish native to Africa
(Agbeko et al., 2014). Fish as well as other vertebrates
are either intermediate host or definitive host to many
parasite species. It is therefore important to identify
parasites that affect tilapia production in the different
stage of growth, their prevalence and intensity in the
fish populations and communities and also establish
their distribution in a defined geographical region.
The high risk of fish disease transmission and parasite
infestation among Tilapia has increased the level of
uncertainty which farm managers have to contend
with to develop the industry (Pozio and Rosa, 2005).
The majority of the disease-causing pathogens are
protozoans, monogenetic trematodes and parasitic
crustaceans (e.g. salmon lice in farmed Atlantic
salmon in Norway and Ireland), most of which have
direct life cycles and reproduce rapidly under
unfavourable pond conditions (Al-Rasheid et al., 2000;
Basson and As, 1994; Van As and Basson, 1987).
Parasitological knowledge has been useful in the
development of the aquaculture industry in many parts
of the word through the production of vaccines,
antibiotics and introduction of bio-security measures
to minimize the mass fish mortalities and boots global
food fish (Lom and Dykova 1992).In Ghana, there is
currently very little knowledge on the distribution and
abundance of pathogens in aquatic ecosystems. This
makes it difficult to identify the groups of
disease-causing organisms in aquaculture in order to
develop preventive and control measures. These
