Abstract
The genesis of this study was to document the presence of infected freshwater snails and cyprinoid fish species that may serve as a source of trematode infection and to assess the prevalence of trematode infection in both snails and cyprinoid fish in the sewage treatment wetlands of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The field component was conducted two times a year (dry and rainy season) from March 2007 to May 2008. Snails and cyprinoid fish samples were obtained from four sites within the Boeng Cheung Ek wetland. Lymnaea (Radix) auricularia rubiginosa snail was found to be infected with the trematode cercariae of Gymnocephalus cercariae (intestinal and liver parasites in herbivorous mammals). Among 15 species of infected fish, the metacercariae of the liver fluke, Opisthorchis viverrini, was found in this study. Puntius orphoides contained the highest number of metacercariae of O. viverrini (374.31/kg) followed by Hampala dispar (120.33/kg), and Henicorhynchus sp. (92.66/kg). The infection rate in both snails and fish exhibited a higher prevalence in the dry season than the rainy season. This investigation can help to characterize potential human health risks in the Boeng Cheung Ek wetlands of Phnom Penh.
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