Korean J Parasitol.  2008 Jun;46(2):77-82. 10.3347/kjp.2008.46.2.77.

Prevalence of Zoonotic Metacercariae in Two Species of Grouper, Epinephelus coioides and Epinephelus bleekeri, and Flathead Mullet, Mugil cephalus, in Vietnam

Affiliations
  • 1Research Institute for Aquaculture No. 3, Nha Trang, Vietnam.
  • 2Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C 1870, Denmark. kdmurrell@comcast.net
  • 3Institute for Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen N-5007, Norway.
  • 4Department of Aquaculture, Nha Trang University, Nha Trang, Vietnam.
  • 5Research Institute for Aquaculture No. 1, Dinh Bang, Tu Son, Bac Ninh, Vietnam.

Abstract

Fishborne zoonotic metacercariae have not been reported from brackish water and marine fish from Vietnam waters although these parasites are common in the country's freshwater fish. Both wild-caught and cultured grouper (Epinephelus coioides and Epinephelus bleekeri), and mullet (Mugil cephalus) from brackish and marine waters locate in Khanh Hoa province in central coastal Vietnam were examined, and found positive for zoonotic trematode metacercariae. From grouper, Heterophyopsis continua and Procerovum varium were recovered. The prevalence of H. continua ranged from 2.0 to 6.0% and that for P. varium ranged from 11.6 to 15.8%. Mullet were infected with Pygidiopsis summa and H. continua both of these species are new records for Vietnam. The prevalence of P. summa in mullet was generally high, ranging from 17.6 to 75.5%, and was significantly higher than the prevalence of H. continua (2.5 to 32.4%). There were no significant differences in the prevalence of metacercariae between grouper from natural or cultured habitats, indicating that the highest risk of infection occurs in the wild-caught state prior to their placement in culture. Further, there was no difference in metacercarial prevalence between the 2 species of grouper. Infected wild-caught seed were only observed from January to October. Monthly variation in prevalence suggests seasonal variation in mullet infections occurs in this region with the highest transmission taking place from October to December. Basic investigations on the ecology and epidemiology of these intestinal flukes need to be carried out to determine their significance as a public health problem and the aspects of their biology that may be vulnerable to control interventions.

Keyword

Heterophyopsis continua; Procerovum varium; Pygidiopsis summa; fishborne metacercariae; zoonoses; grouper; mullet; Vietnam

MeSH Terms

Animals
Bass/*parasitology
Fish Diseases/*epidemiology/parasitology
Fresh Water/parasitology
Humans
Prevalence
Seawater/parasitology
Smegmamorpha/*parasitology
Time Factors
Trematoda/*isolation & purification
Trematode Infections/epidemiology/parasitology/*veterinary
Vietnam/epidemiology
Zoonoses/*epidemiology/parasitology
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