Dynamics of synchronized clinostomatids infections in Cichlids

Histopathology of fish in a concomitant infection of three different species of clinostomatid metacercariae: Clinostomum tilapiae, Clinostomum complanatum, and Euclinostomum heterostomum has become necessary due to its want of knowledge. Description of enormous debilitating skin damages, occasional deaths, unilateral exophthalmus, and degeneration of skin, myositis, haemorrhages, eosinophils, necrosis and economic destruction of Tilapia zillii values by these metacercariae were studied. These parasites dry body weights (mg); C. complanatum (0.0071 ± 0.0023b) and E. heterostomum (0.0067 ± 0.0023b) did not show any significant difference (P < 0.05 %), whereas C. complanatum and E. heterostomum showed significant difference with C. tilapiae (0.0050 ± 0.0015a). The effects of hydrological regime showed that reduced rains (153.54 ± 109.42 cm3) and floodplain influenced the occurrence of these digenean parasites which peaked during dry season months (Nov 2007 – March 2008) when the habitat contracted.