Trichinella zimbabwensis naturally infects a variety of reptilian and wild mammalian hosts in South Africa. Attempts have been made to experimentally infect piranha fish with T. zimbabwensis and T. papuae without success. Tigerfish (Hydrocynus vittatus) and African sharp tooth catfish (Clarias gariepinus) are accomplished predators cohabiting with Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) and Nile monitor lizards (Varanus niloticus) in southern Africa and are natural hosts of T. zimbabwensis. To assess the infectivity of T. zimbabwensis to these two hosts, 24 African sharp tooth catfish (mean live weight 581.75 ± 249.71 g) randomly divided into 5 groups were experimentally infected with 1.0 ± 0.34 T. zimbabwensis larvae per gram (lpg) of fish. Forty-one tigerfish (mean live weight 298.6 ± 99.3 g) were randomly divided for three separate trials. An additional 7 tigerfish were assessed for the presence of natural infection as controls. Results showed no adult worms or larvae of T. zimbabwensis in the gastrointestinal tract and body cavities of catfish sacrificed at day 1, 2 and 7 post-infection (p.i.). Two tigerfish from one experimental group yielded 0.1 lpg and 0.02 lpg of muscle tissue at day 26 p.i. and 28 p.i., respectively. No adult worms or larvae were detected in the fish from the remaining groups sacrificed at day 7, 21, 28, 33 and 35 p.i. and from the control group. Results from this study suggest that tigerfish could sustain T. zimbabwensis under specific yet unknown circumstances.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the growth response and feed utilization of Clarias gariepinus juveniles fed graded levels of boiled Senna obtusifolia seed meal as replacement for soybean meal.Materials and methods: Five isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets were formulated. The diest were- control diet (with 0% inclusion level boiled S. obtusifolia seed meal i.e., 100% soybean meal), 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% inclusion level (total replacement of soya bean meal). The feeds were fed to C. gariepinus juveniles at 5% of their body weight for 84 days in an indoor partial flow through system. Weight and standard length of C. gariepinus juveniles were taken every fortnight and water quality parameters were monitored weekly. Results: Experimental fish fed diets with 0 and 25% inclusion level of boiled S. obtusifolia seed meal gave the best results in terms of Mean Weight Gain (MWG) (20.22 and 19.79 g, respectively), Specific Growth Rate (1.82 and 1.83 respectively), Protein Efficiency Ratio (2.75 and 2.00, respectively) and the Lowest Feed Conversion Ratio (1.29 and 1.39 respectively). The lowest growth and feed utilization were observed in fish fed 100% inclusion level. The weight gain of fish decreased with increase in replacement level above 25%. There was no significant difference between control diet 0 and 25% inclusion level (P and #8805;0.05). Conclusion: Boiled S. obtusifolia seed meal is a nutritive source of plant protein and a good replacement for soybean meal at 25% inclusion level of boiled S. obtusifolia seed meal in formulating catfish feed for C. gariepinus juveniles without any deleterious effect. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2016; 3(4.000): 345-352]

During parasitological field surveys of freshwater fish, sebekiid and subtriquetrid pentastome larvae were recovered from the body cavity or swim bladder of several fish species from various localities in Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces, South Africa. Sebekia wedliwas recovered from the body cavity of Marcusenius macrolepidotus (Mormyridae) from Flag Boshielo Dam, Limpopo Province, and Alofia sp. and Subtriquetra rileyi were found in the swim bladder of Oreochromis mossambicus (Cichlidae) from the Phalaborwa Barrage, Limpopo Province. The latter species was also collected from the swim bladder of O. mossambicus in dams in the Phalaborwa region and the Ga-Selati River, Limpopo Province. A single specimen of Sebekia okavangoensis was present in the body cavity of Clarias gariepinus (Clariidae) in a dam on a sugarcane farm in the Komatipoort region, Mpumalanga Province. Pentastomid infections in the Mormyridae and Clariidae represent new host records.