Prevalence of Parasites in House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) in Al-Hilla City, Babylon Province

The house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) is one of the unique lizards, which is characterized by being nocturnal activity and has great ability to climb. It is widely found in human homes and feeds on insects, spiders and worms. Like the rest of the vertebrate animals, it is exposed to many pathogens, including parasites. The aim of the study is to identify the prevalence of parasites in house gecko (Hemidactylus Frenatus) in Al-hilla city, Babylon province.  A total of ۲۰۰ geckos were seized from the walls of several houses in separate neighborhoods of Babel governorate, Iraq, using the sticky paper method, after which they were kept in plastic boxes until they were transferred to the laboratory to perform the necessary tests to detect external and internal parasites. The results of the current study showed that ۴۵% (۹۰) of geckos were infected with external parasites. The injury included three undiagnosed species that belonged to genera Ixodes, Angasid and Trombicula, with rates of infection of ۲۷.۵%, ۱۳.۵% and ۴%, respectively. The incidence of external parasites in males (۵۰ %) was greater than that of females (۳۸.۸%). The incidence of internal parasites was ۵۲.۵% (۱۰۵) in gecko. The internal parasites included parasites of nematodes and tapeworms and are as follows with infection rates: Parapharyngodon malplestomi (۱۷.۵%), Hedyris hanleyae (۱۸.۵%), and Onchonistica javaensis (۱۶.۵%). As is the case with external parasites, the infection rates for internal parasites in male geckos (۵۴.۵ %) are greater than those of females (۵۰.۰ %). Through the present study it appeared that gecko is one of the most important vital pathways in transporting parasites from gecko to humans, which may appear too many people as a friendly and harmless animal, but we have proven otherwise.

Keywords:

Hemidactylus frenatus , Gecko's parasites , Ixodes spp , Human Health