Occurrence of Endoparasite in Rohu Carp (Labeo rohita) in Buluan, Maguindanao, Philippines

Lake Buluan is the third largest lake in the island of Mindanao, located in Buluan, Maguindanao, Philippines, which is dominated by freshwater fishes, including the Rohu carp (Labeo rohita), the most economically important species in the inland fisheries of the Municipality of Buluan. This fish is widely distributed to nearby cities and municipalities. However, cases of parasitic infections may affect fish health through reproductive and physiological damage which may result to economic loss. Furthermore, presence of zoonotic parasites in fishes is of public health importance. Thus, there is a need
to determine the parasite load of L. rohita from this source. A total of 100 samples of L. rohita were examined during the study period (November 2018 to February 2019). Internal parts (stomach, eyes, muscles, brain, liver, gills, kidney and heart) were examined through necropsy, artificial digestion and
microscopy. Parasites were subjected to staining for identification. Results revealed that 8% of the samples were infected with helminth parasites specifically, the nematode Camallanus sp. (2%) in the intestine and trematodes Clinostomum philippinesis (6%) in the gills. Furthermore, increased parasitism
was observed in smaller fish than larger fish samples. The mean values of condition factor were in the limit of 0.928 to 1.373. This study is the first report of the occurrence of helminth parasites in L. rohitain Lake Buluan, Philippines.

Keywords–Endoparasite, Freshwater fishes, Labeo rohita, Lake Buluan, Rohu carp