Histopathology of Heart of Freshwater Spiny Eel, Mastacembelus armatus Naturally Infected with Tetracotyle Metacercaria (Trematoda: Strigeidae)

摘要

Freshwater spiny eel, Mastacembelus armatus Lacpéde, 1800 hosts a number of adult parasitic groups and metacercarial stages of avian digenetic trematodes and acts as an intermediate hosts in the completion of life-cycle of these parasites in birds. The fish shows heavy infestations with the larval stages, Tetracotyle metacercaria of Cotylurus species (96%) of the parasitic fauna of M. armatus. These metacercariae were distributed among various body organs like heart, liver, kidney and gonads. Hearttissue was heavily infected with this metacercariae and severe pathological changes were made with light microscopic as well as transmission electron microscopic studies. Pathologic changes like atrophy due to pressure, inflammatory cells in the vicinityof capsule and loss of striation of cardiac muscle were noted which might have reduced the cardiac efficiency of the host.