Endoparasites in Sardinella lemuru and Glossogobius guiris from Caraga, Philippines
Fish often serves as a staple food and protein source. Most Filipinos depend on fishing activities as a means of living. Fish parasites are diverse and pervasive organisms affecting a variety of hosts, including commercially important fish. Despite being utilized for commercial purposes, limited studies on fish parasitism are done in the Caraga region and are published in the Philippines. This study is one of the few conducted on the prevalence of parasites from the coast of Cabadbaran City and Lake Mainit in Jabonga, Agusan Del Norte, Phils. The two areas were the major fishing ground for different fish varieties sold in the local market. Two fish samples were collected: Glossogobius guiris (n=100) and Sardinella lemuru (n=100). Standardized protocols for fish parasite investigation were adopted. From the collected fish samples, the gastrointestinal tract was subjected, then examined and isolated. Of the 200 individuals, there were 2 found infected withG. guiris and 8 infected withS. lemuru. The recorded parasite was identified as Nematodes and was mostly observed in marine fish species (S. lemuru) when compared to freshwater fish (G. guiris). This implies that the occurrence of these parasites may vary depending on the fish type, maturity, diet composition, and location. A significant difference p=0.0003 was observed in the length-weight and prevalence of fish parasites and infers that size structure is associated with parasitic rate. Thus, the importance of conducting fish parasites could give an understanding of how this ubiquitous organism affects commercially important fish and awareness to the fish-eating community.
In the Philippines, fish livelihood activities greatly contribute to the local and national economies. Fishing has produced a large contribution to the country’s development, with the recorded input of an estimated 4.33 billion dollars to the country’s financial resources (BFAR, 2016). Due to this record, there is a need for intensive management of fishery activities to maintain the economic stability of the country. Along with this is the careful assessment of the quality of harvest as its Philippine catch value increases over time (Anticamara and Go, 2016). Fish is successfully marketed according to a range of customer key standards (Saeed et al., 2022), and such requirements are qualities that are largely influenced by environmental factors (Fritrianiet al., 2019).
A prevalent problem in aquatic animals is parasitism which contributes to high mortalities among fish stocks (Edeh & Solomon, 2017). This special interaction between organisms involves a parasite harming a host or limiting its abundance. The impact of these organisms stretches out to an ability to wipe out other species due to their ability to cause wide epidemics, especially for disease-causing parasites (Frainer et al., 2018). Parasites are classified into ectoparasites, parasites on the external part of the host and endoparasites, parasites within the host’s body. Such endoparasites may be located within the flesh and organs of the host organism (Edeh & Solomon, 2017). Flagellates, amoebae, and Haplosporidia are examples of these parasites, to name a few (Lucas etal., 2019). The existence of these harmful organisms affects fish quality such that a study made byRamos, 2020 proved that some of these parasite-infested fish products are commercialized.
Despite their ability to cause diseases, fish are also known to be effective bioindicators. In an evaluation performed by Fierro etal., 2019, fishes were proven to present information on human agricultural activities to which their setting is subjected, as well as the water pollution in the same setting. In addition, fish examination gives information on the health and environmental disturbances by assessment of the inner organs and tolerance. Fish had also been used in a different study by (Gutiérrez and Agudelo, 2020) in assessing the accumulation of coal and mercury in Colombian waters, which gave significant results. Many factors contribute to the results of these bioassessments, namely, the increase in population (Rabadon & Corpuz, 2021), as well as climate change and the pollution that is brought about by the same factor (Wu etal., 2019).
Moreover, the fish-size relationship and the occurrence of parasites in fish products reduce the value and quality to drop, thus changing the marketability of the fish (Abollo etal., 2001; Levsen et al., 2005; Karl, 2008; Llarena-Reino etal., 2013; D’Amico et al. 2014; Llarena-Reino et al., 2015).
Fish parasite infection and pollution develop in ineffective energy and nutrient consumption and an escalation in energy expenditure of fish through respiration, impacting reproduction and growth (Marcogliese and Pietrock, 2011; Khan, 2012; Shea- Donohue et al., 2017; FAO 2020). More importantly, the risk posed by fish-borne parasitic zoonoses to human health (Quiazon, 2015) is estimated to be high, especially since fish is the staple food of fishing communities and eating raw fish is common practice in the region (Soares Magalhães etal., 2014; Tenorio and Molina, 2021).
This study utilized Sardinella lemuru (Tamban) and Glossogobiusguiris (Pidjanga), which is a commercially important fish in the Caraga region and the Philippines as well. Being ranked second in terms of volume in fish production, it is considered to be one of the most abundant fish and an affordable source of protein in the country (Labrador et al., 2021). These fish have a good hold on the economy of the Philippines and can affect the state of that part of the country. However, according to a study (Pohle, 2013), consumers have the trend in food without assessing the quality and information of the said product. In this case, consumers are at risk of diseasecausing factors brought upon by the products they buy due to their lack of awareness and lack of assessment from the food industry (Ziarati etal., 2022). In support of this information, the American Society has found that about 260,000 people have reported being sick from consuming fish products. Likewise, Barrett etal., 2017 also recorded 857 outbreaks causing about 4800 illnesses with hospitalizations and deaths in the same country due to polluted fish.
Further, due to their availability and precise identification of species, fish assessments prove to be convenient and useful in scientific investigations. It is also imperative to perform with scientifically proven and applicable methods along with the locallyobtained samples. More importantly, there is a need to use a preventive approach in the maintenance of fish health in our aquatic resources (Assefa & Abunna, 2018). Moreover, Cook, 2017, infers that the foundation of sustainability rests upon three factors which are social, economic, and environmental. There were no studies conducted in the region utilizing the fish samples. Thus, the study aims to provide baseline information to address the gap. Lastly, the focus of the study is to determine the prevalence of endoparasites in Sardinella lemuru and Glossogobius guiris. While this also touches on the protection and conservation of our water resources as well as the health of the fish-consuming community.
Source : Endoparasites in Sardinella lemuru and Glossogobius guiris from Caraga, Philippines | InformativeBD
