Investigation of some fatty acid composition and elemental levels in muscle tissues of Acanthobrama marmid (Heckel, 1843) infected with Ligula intestinalis (Cestoda: Pseudophyllidea)

A total of 586 Acanthobrama marmid, obtained from the Keban Dam Lake Koçkale Region, were studied parasitologically for Ligula intestinalis. L. intestinalis was detected in 52 of A. marmids. The prevalence of the parasite was calculated to be 8.87%, average density 9.34 and average abundance 0.83. A total of 80 fish, 40 of which were not infected with parasites and 40 were infected with parasites, with an average weight of 61.4 ±28.6 g and an average length of 17.05±2.65 cm were determined. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) was used to determine some element levels in the muscle tissues of fish. Fish tissues were investigated in terms of Cr, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb, Ni and Hg. Among these elements, Ni and Hg have been found in very few fish and in trace amounts. A significant difference was observed between the Fe, Cr, Co, As, and Hg levels in the tissues of the parasite-infected and non-infected fish (p <0.05). There was no significant difference between Cu, Zn, Ni, Cd and Pb levels (p>0.05). A significant difference was observed between the element levels in the muscle tissue of the Ligula-infected fish and the Zn, Cu, Co, As, Pb, Ni and Hg levels in the body tissues of the Ligula (p <0.05). There was no significant difference between Cr, Fe and Cd levels (p>0.05).Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to determine the levels of fatty acids in the muscle tissues of fish. The fish tissue fatty acid composition has been found to consist of a rich variety of fatty acids. According to A. marmids' saturated fatty acid levels in muscle tissue, mono and polyunsaturated fatty acid (MUFA and PUFA) levels, a statistically significant difference was observed between infected and non-infected fish (p <0.05). However, no statistically significant difference was observed between infected fish and non-infected fish according to Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acid levels (p> 0.05). In this study, the n-3 / n-6 ratio was found to be 1.52 in infected fish and 1.07 in non-infected fish.