Awareness of fish‐borne zoonoses and prevalence of Contracaecum in Oreochromis niloticus and Lates niloticus collected from Lake Chamo, Arba Minch, Ethiopia

Aim Many fish species can harbour a wide range of pathogenic agents in their tissues. Of many pathogens, the parasitic nematode of genus Contracaecum, which resides in the tissues of fish species, can results in fish‐borne infections in humans. This study was planned to assess consumers' awareness of fish‐borne zoonoses in the fishing sites of Lake Chamo, Arba Minch, Ethiopia. The study was also aimed at demonstrating the zoonotic nematode, Contracaecum parasites in the Oreochromis niloticus and Lates niloticus fishes collected from Lake Chamo, Arba Minch, Ethiopia. Methods and Results Assessment of awareness about fish‐borne zoonoses was conducted in randomly selected participants (n = 162) using face‐to‐face interviews via a structured and semi‐structured questionnaire. Besides, 70 fishes (O. niloticus = 35 and L. niloticus = 35) were examined for the presence of larva of Contracaecum and other anisakid genera through standard dissection, pepsin‐hydrochloric acid digestion and microscopic observation. Consumers have inadequate awareness about fish‐borne zoonoses based on the answers they provided to the questions. The majority of respondents (82%) consume raw fish in the area. Of these, a significantly higher proportion were male (p