A review of parasitic fauna of Egyptian amphibia

Abstract

The world's biodiversity is facing a significant threat, and amphibians are particularly susceptible, being the most vulnerable vertebrate group globally. The decline in the amphibian population has been attributed, in part, to parasitic infection. Egyptian amphibian fauna was poorly studied, and their current status, threats, and conservation needs were not well known. This paper aims to review the parasitic fauna of Egyptian amphibia to highlight one of the possible existential threats this important group of animals faces. Forty articles were subjected to analysis, according to parasite taxa studied in each article. It was found that 14, 4, 6, 2 and 12 papers were concerned with parasitic protozoa, myxozoan, digenean, cestodes and nematodes, respectively. Two additional papers were concerned with helminthic and acanthocephalans mixed infection. The data obtained were analyzed and discussed with special emphasis on the possible role of parasites in amphibian population declines. It is recommended that parasitic infections be considered a major threat to amphibian populations and thus be integrated into all assessments of their current status, conservation needs, and potential threats.