Occurrence of Trypanosoma sp. in wild African sharptooth catfish (Clarias gariepinus Burchell, 1822) in the River Asi (north-eastern Mediterranean), Turkey

Authors: EGEMEN KONAŞ, ERCÜMENT GENÇ, GALİP KAYA, CAVİT EROL

Abstract: Fifteen African sharptooth catfish (Clarias gariepinus Burchell, 1822) were collected from the River Asi (River Orontes) in Antakya (Hatay, Turkey) in November 2007, and fish blood samples were examined for the presence of blood parasites. The existence of infection with Trypanosoma (hemoparasite) was identified in 13 out of the 15 fish specimens. Currently there are no records of the presence of any species of Trypanosoma infecting Clarias gariepinus in Anatolia. Thus this study is the first report of Trypanosoma sp. infections in Clarias gariepinus in Turkey.

Keywords: Trypanosoma, Clarias gariepinus, Asi River, Hatay, Turkey

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