Understanding the Association between Selected Agama agama Characteristics and Intestinal Parasitic Infection in Otuoke, Nigeria

Abstract

Lizards (Agama agama) are the most widely distributed reptiles and has shown to be a means of transport and reservoir host to a number of protozoan and helminth parasites. The aim of this study is to determine the association between parasitic infection of Agama agama and selected characteristics (age and sex). The observational study was carried out at Otuoke community where 50 Agama agama comprising both male and females were randomly obtained. The lizards were sacrificed and their feaces were collected from their intestines and studied in the laboratory for parasite presence using light microscope. The results showed the identification of four parasites in the lizards namely; nematode (Strongyluris brevicaudata and Parapharyngodon colonensis), cestode (Oochoristica truncate), trematode (Mesocoelium monas) and Conoidasida (Toxoplasma gondii). There was no association between age (described as length of the animal) and prevalence of parasitic infection. Also, there was no association between sex and prevalence of the parasitic infection and finally, there was no association between weight and prevalence of the parasitic infection. This study has shown that although parasites are present in Agama agama, there was no gender, age and weight variations or dependence of the rate of their infection.