Ectoparasite Fauna of Imported Ornamental Fishes in Oman

Abstract

The movement of live aquatic animals crossing international borders is a regular activity for economic, social, and public resource development. A survey was carried out to investigate the prevalence of parasites translocated with imported ornamental fishes. Exotic diseases from imported fish have a potential hazard of biosecurity. A sample of 138 imported ornamental fish originating from Thailand and Sri Lanka were collected from pet shops around Muscat governorate and examined for ectoparasites. Parasitological examination was based on a visual macro and microscopic examination of fish’s exterior. The findings of the current survey of imported ornamental fish revealed that 50.72% of the imported ornamental fish were infected by the one or more of ectoparasites species including Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, Dactylogyrus sp., Gyrodactylus sp., digenean metacercaria and Trichodina sp. Parasitic infection of the gills (55.795) was higher than the skin (42.75%). The most prevalent parasite in skin infection was Gyrodactylus sp. (14.49%) but this was absent from the gills which was dominated by digenean metacercaria (26.08%). The existence of such parasitic organisms could pose a threat to native fish populations and the aquaculture sector. It is recommended that a risk analysis method based on the detection and assessment of fish diseases found in live ornamental fish be established and used. Also, exotic pathogenic parasites, as well as their hosts, must be closely monitored to reduce the likelihood of infections being introduced into new areas.