A BRIEF ACCOUNT ON PROTOZOAN INFECTION IN ASIAN STINGING CATFISH, HETEROPNEUSTES FOSSILIS (BLOCH, 1794) IN DIFFERENT SEASONS OF BANGLADESH

Abstract

The study was conducted to identify the protozoan parasites in a freshwater
indigenous air breathing fish, Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch, 1794). The host fish was
collected during mid of the April 2018 to end of the March 2019 from freshwater
bodies of Mymensingh, Kishoregonj, Faridpur, Jashore, Manikganj and Bogura
districts of Bangladesh. Three species of phylum myxozoa namely Henneguya
singhi, Henneguya qadrii, Henneguya mystusia, one species of phylum ciliophora
namely Trichodina siddiquae and two species of phylum mastigophora namely
Trypanosoma singhii and Piscinoodium pillulare were identified in H. fossilis. The
parasites of all infected hostswere observed in gill, body slime and blood, however
gillswere commonly infected by parasites rather than body slime and blood. Three
species of parasite Piscinoodium pillulare, Henneguya qadrii and Henneguya mystusia
were first recorded in this host fish and novel locality record in Bangladesh. H.
fossilis was found to be infected over the three major (p<0.05) (summer, rainy and
winter) seasons and demonstrated a strong significant association (P0<05) with
season during the study period. In H. fossilis, highest variety and highest number
of parasites were found in winter season, prevalence and intensity was found
78.31% and 5.17 respectively. Lowest prevalence and intensity were found in rainy
season respectively 45.87 and 4.72. Among all the parasites Henneguya singhi was
common in all the three seasons and its rate of infection was found elevated in
summer (20.69%) and rainy season (19.27%). In H. fossilis prevalence of female fish
were highest in all the three seasons, summer (55.22%), rainy (50.75%) and winter
(85.57%) than their male counterparts 38.76%, 38.09% and 68.12%, respectively.