Helminth parasitofauna of five Ptychadena species from altered rainforest biotopes in Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The helminth parasitofauna of five Ptychadena spp. (Pty. bibroni, Pty. longirostris, Pty. mascareniensis, Pty. oxyrhynchus, Pty. mascareniensis and Pty. pumilio) collected from four humanly altered locations (Ikpako, Ogba, Okada and Ohogua) in rainforest biotopes in Edo State were investigated. Eleven helminth parasites were recovered from the 93 specimens examined. The parasites recovered included the cysticercoid of Diplopylidium triseriale (Cestoda), Polystoma aeschlimanni, P. prudhoei (Monogenea), Mesocoelium monodi (Trematoda), Aplectana macintoshii, Amplicaecum africanum, Cosmocerca commutata, C. ornata, Physaloptera sp., Rhabdias sp. and an Ascaridida larva (Nematoda). Overall prevalence was 67.7% while the prevalence of infection at the four locations were 21.5%, 7.5%, 24.7% and 13.9% for Ikpako, Ogba, Okada and Ohogua, respectively. Although all the parasites encountered in this study have previously been reported in the country, Pty. pumilio is a new host record for C. commutata and Pty. oxyrhynchus for A. macintoshii. The occurrence of D. triseriale cysticercoids in Pty. mascareniensis confirms a recent report of its presence in Nigeria. The impact of land use on the parasite fauna and prevalence of the Ptychadena spp. examined is discussed.

Keywords: Helminth parasites fauna; rainforest biotopes; prevalence.