Infestation of parasites in Spotfin Bigeye, Priacanthus spp. in the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia: A Diagnosis
Suhairi Mazelan (a), Wahidah Wahab (a), Mohammad Hafiz Borkhanuddin (b), Faizah Shaharom-Harrison (i), Nor Asma Husna Mohammed Yusoff (a), Sharifah Raina Manaf (c), Nora Faten Afifah Binti Mohamad (d), Ruhil Hayati Hamdan (e), Ahmad Shuhaimi Draman (a), Nurul Hayati Ismail (a), Siti Tafzilmeriam Binti Sheikh Abdul Kadir (f), Jamaluddin Fitrah Alam (g), Norazizah Kemat (h), Mazlan Abd Ghaffar (a,j) and Mohd Ihwan Zakariah(a,j).

(a) Higher Institution Centre of Excellence, Institute of Tropical and Aquaculture and Fisheries (AKUATROP), University Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia.

(b) Faculty of Marine Science and Environment, University Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia.

(c) Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Cawangan Sarawak, Kampus Mukah, K.M 7.5 Jalan Oya, 96400 Mukah, Sarawak, Malaysia.

(d) Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu Sarawak Campus, Nyabau Road, 97008 Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia.

(e) Department of Paraclinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK), Pengkalan Chepa, 16100 Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia.

(f) Institute of Oceanography and Environment (INOS), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia.

(g) Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar, Sulawesi Selatan, Indonesia.

(h) Kuantan Biosecurity Fisheries Centre, Department of Fisheries Malaysia, Lot 20755 Jalan Tanah Putih 25150 Kuantan Pahang, Malaysia.

(i) Faculty of Fisheries and Food Science, University Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia.

(j) Food Security Research Cluster, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia.

Abstract

Priacanthus spp. or the common name Spotfin Bigeye is a very common component of inshore trawls. In Terengganu, these fish species have been categorized as trash fish and sometimes harvested to be processed as raw ingredients to make local delicacies like fish crackers. Whereas, in Sabah and Sarawak, they have been sold at a higher price due to their flesh which is of excellent edible quality and their skins are simple to peel after cooking. However, to date there are reported cases of parasite infestations in Priacanthus spp. which become a concern due to the zoonotic effects upon human consumptions. Therefore, the primary goals of this research are to (1) describe the procedure of the fish parasitology diagnosis and (2) to examine the prevalence and mean intensity of parasites found in Priacanthus spp. Results showed that there were seven groups of parasites found in this study including trematode, crustacean, monogenea, digenea, nematode, myxosporea, and cestodes. All these parasites were successfully isolated using various staining and fixing techniques. The prevalence and mean intensity of the parasites found are 90% and 8.11, respectively. The nematode is the most abundant species that have been infected by Priacanthus spp. (48.5 %), followed by trematode (37.3 %), crustacean parasites (6.8 %), cysts myxosporea (5.2 %), monogenea (1.1%), digenea (0.8 %), and cestodes (0.3 %). Findings are vital to control the effects of fish parasites on the health and fish production, and to making sure that these parasites are not zoonotic threats to human health and food safety.

Keywords: Fish parasites, Zoonotic, Diagnostic, Food Safety and Food Security

Topic: Sustainable Aquaculture and Fisheries