Gastrointestinal helminth parasites of <i>Amietophyrnus regularis</i>, Bufonidae (African common toad) in Anyigba, Kogi State, Nigeria

Abstract

Gastrointestinal helminth parasites of Amietophyrnus regularis (African Common Toad) in Anyigba were investigated. A total of 120 specimens were examined for helminth parasites, 113(94.17%) toads were infected, while 7(5.8%) were uninfected. Helminth parasites recovered were 1576, comprising of 1 Cestode: Baerietta jaegerskioeldi (2.50%) and 3 Nematodes: Amplicaecum africanum (92.50%), Cosmocerca ornata (16.67%) and Physaloptera spp. (6.67%). Nematodes had the highest occurrence with A. africanum as the most prevalent. The cestode, B. jaegerskioeldi and the nematode, C. ornata exhibited specific sites of infection, being found in the small intestine and large intestine/rectum, respectively. Small intestine of hosts harboured the highest number of parasites with a prevalence of 90%. Although infection increased with the size of hosts examined, there was no significant difference in the infection of size categories. Similarly, there was no significant difference in the infection of male and female toad hosts (p>0.05). The toads with 1 – 10 worms had the highest frequency of infections, 61(50.83%). Multiple infections were recorded in several of the toad hosts, an indication of the rich parasitic fauna of Amietophyrnus regularis in Anyigba. This study is an attempt to bridge the dearth of information on the helminth parasites associated with Amietophyrnus regularis in Anyigba, Kogi State, Nigeria.

Keywords: Gastrointestinal parasites, Amietophyrnus regularis, Savanna, Nigeria