The Role of Local Fishes as an Intermediate or Paratenic hosts for some Parasites of Aquatic Birds in Basrah Province

Abstract

A total of 138 specimens of aquatic birds belong to five bird species; slender-billed gull Larusgenei, little egret Egretta grazetta, little bittern Ardiola ralloides, cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo and piedkingfisher Ceryle rudis were collected from Al-Mashab marsh north of Basrah province during the periodJuly 2011till June 2012.Contents of their proventriculouses were investigate for the presence of prey fishes,That these fishes may play a vital role of transferring parasitic helminths to the local aquatic birds. Manyfishes species were isolated from the proventricolouses of the examined birds. The percentage of occurrencesof fishes prey in each bird’s species and their relationship with the infection with parasite was estimated.Positive relationship between occurrence of in sailfin molly Poecilia latipinna which harbour Contracaecumsp. larva and infection slender-billed gull, little egret, little bittern and pied kingfisher with adult ofContracaecum spp. was noticed.