MORPHOLOGICAL IDENTIFICATION OF HELMINTHS IN COMMON FISH (CYPRINUS CARPIO) OF THE LAGUNA DE BUSTILLOS, CHIHUAHUA, MÉXICO AND POTENTIAL HEALTH HAZARD

Fish constitute a significant part of human diet. The meat intake of fish provides some vitamins like A, D, B1, B12 and C. In addition, the fish´s meat has a low rate of carbohydrates and has salts such as sodium, potassium, calcium and phosphorus which are essential for human development. The common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is the specie most countable in the Laguna de Bustillos, Chihuahua, Mexico and this fish is a potential source of income for the inhabitants living around this ecosystem. Nevertheless, the undercooked or raw fish may expose to human to a potential parasitic disease. Among the most important characteristics of the intake of fish is that meat are resistance to the preparation with heat, since most of these properties may remain after cooking. The objective of this study was to identify the morphology of helminthes in a common carp (Cyprinus carpio) that develops in the body of water of Laguna de Bustillos. A total of 30 fishes were taken in October and November 2011 (N=30) and the analysis were carried out in the laboratory of Parasitological of the College of Chemical Sciences (FCQ) of the Autonomous University of Chihuahua (UACH), Mexico. It was found a frequency of parasitism (90%) because most of the specimens were parasitized. Gyrodactylus spp was found in gills, Pseudocapillaria tomentosa was noted in the intestine and Botriocephalus acheilognathi was parasitizing the intestinal mucosa. The results showed a frequency parasitic of Gyrodactylus sp., with 76.67%, Pseudocapillaria tomentosa with 83.33% and Botriocephalus acheilognathi with 6.67%. The dominant effect of the species Tomentosa Pseudocapillaria was about 0.40 and Botriocephalus acheilognathi was the proportion of fish species currently infected acheilognathi Botriocephalus species that were found in the intestinal mucosa of fish. It is highly recommended to local inhabitants that fish meat may be consumed after cooking temperatures exceeding 60° C for 10 min which would kill the larvae, which may be zoonotic to humans.