ISSN 2348-313X (Print) International Journal of Life Sciences Research ISSN 2348-3148 (online) Vol. 7, Issue 3, pp: (44-52), Month: July - September 2019, Available at: www.researchpublish.com Page | 44 Research Publish Journals Histopathological study of parasite infested Channa punctata. Hena Parbin 1 ,Banasri Mech 2* Dept of Zoology, Gauhati University, Assam. Email id: henaparbin12@gmail.com Corresponding author email id: banasrimech530@gmail.com Abstract: The rich aquatic fauna of Assam especially the fishes often face the challenge of parasitic infestation. Channapunctata is often infected by different parasites which lead to different physiological changes. In present study, histological structure of gill, liver and kidney of parasite infested Channapunctata is studied. The liver of the infested fish showed vacuolar degeneration, necrosis and extensive tissue damage near portal vein. Gills showed degenerative and necrotic changes of gill lamellae, mucus cell and also epithelium detachment. Kidney also showed sign of infection, vacuole formation and tissue damage. The infestation also affects the behavior and growth of fish. Keywords: Parasites, Channapunctata, necrosis, vacuole. I. INTRODUCTION India is endowed with rich and varied aquatic resources amenable for fisheries and aquaculture. The state is fortunate to posses vast and varied aquatic resources from the part of global hot-spot of fresh water fish diversity and the water bodies harbor more than 200 species of fishes with a high degree of endemism. The snakeheads also known as murrels, belonging to the family Channidae, constitute the dominant group of air breathing fresh water fishes in terms of both culture and capture fisheries. Among the snakeheaded fishes, Channapunctata (Bloch 1979) is considered amongst the high demand food fishes as a source of protein. Fishes are the primary host of certain parasites so they are signified as zoonotic and biological hazards in prospective of human health (Chai, 2005). The major groups of parasite in fresh water fishes are trematodes, cestodes, nematodes and acanthocephalons which cause infections. Beside these, there are many parasites which are transmitted to human being only through fish (Gupta, 1959). These parasites decrease the rate of growth as well as the reproduction rate of the fish, resulting in loss of potential food and economic loss to the culturist. In the context of India, parasitic diseases are most common (about 78%) and are encountered more frequently than microbial diseases; however the degree of severity and loss due to such diseases are highly variable (Abidi, 2002). Histopathology deals with the disease diagnosis of tissue. It provides a rapid and systematic way to detect any physiological changes which may be caused by irritants or pathogens in different organs of fish (Johnson et al. 1993). The histopathological analysis is a very sensitive aspect and is crucial in determining cellular changes that may occur in target organs, such as the gills, gut, liver and gonad(Dutta, 1996). A comparative study of histology is useful to distinguish abnormal cells from normal ones, which helps in diagnosis of many diseases (Majumdar 1980). Liver is one of the important glands concern with several important functions. It is the major organ of detoxification and plays important role in the metabolism of all important elements of the body (Pardeshi et al. 2012). Therefore the histological study of liver is a reveals the health issue of the fish and is helpful in knowing the possible effect of any parasites on the functions of the body systems (Kaur et al. 2012). Gills are the organ of breathing and it plays a major role in detecting the quality of the environment of the fish. Gills are generally considered as a good indicator of water quality. Kidneys are involved in excretion and regulation of the water balance within the fish. Polluted water and presence of parasites affect the kidney also (Tilak et al. 2004, Butchiram et al. 2007). Present study was attempted to compare the histological structure of gill, liver, and kidney of parasite infested and non infestedChannapunctataalong with recording their physical and behavioral changes.