Parasitic occurrence in the giant fresh water prawn macrobrachium rosenbergii from coastal Karachi,Pakistan

In recent years culture of macrobrachium rosenbergii is expanding in pakistan coastal areas of karachi in particular due to its relatively fast growth rate,high market price and export demand. however,the detail study on parasitic diseases has received less attention on cultivable m. rosenbergii in compared to the penaied prawns. the present parasitic survey on m. rosenbergii from coastal areas of karachi encountered 14 species of parasites. among the protozoan parasites,zoothamnium sp.,amphileptus sp.,dileptus sp.,chilodonella sp.,balladyna sp.,epistylis sp.,vorticella sp. and gregarina sp. were recovered; of which 4 were ecto-commensals and other 4 were endo-commensals. metazoan parasites represented by myxobolus sp.,rhabdochona sp.,indocucullanus sp.,procamallanus sp.,cucullanus sp. and acanthogyrus sp; of which 1 were ecto-commensals and other 5 were endocommensals. in karachi coastal areas,inland culture and capture based fishery activities mainly rural based and operated by poor farmers. developing right kind of intervention.