Micro Flora Associated with Freshwater Medicinal Leeches in Taif City, Saudi Arabia
Abdel-Basset M. Ebied *
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Taif University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt.
Ahmed A. Issa
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Taif University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
Mohammed Fadl Allah A. Awad
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Taif University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Microflora (Cyanobacteria, Algae and Fungi) associated with the freshwater leech namely, Limnatis niloticawere observed for this particular study. The number of catch leeches was higher at Saiysad fresh water bodies (5-28 taxa) than that of Gahdeer Albannat water (1 taxon) throughout the wet season. The Saiysad water contains low oxygen and is highly polluted in comparison to other water bodies. The green algae and diatoms constitute the main bulk of the phytoplankton population of the following two water bodies. Though cyanobacteria in this particular water body of Saiyasad fresh water are much higher in respect to the others, so as the number of leeches are also higherin it respectively. Twenty-one fungal species those are representing 10 genera were collected from the Leech samples (jaws, pharynx and intestine) on the culture media of Potato Dextrose Agar. After th isolation of fungus were done from its carried devices Then also the phytoplanktons show a rapid growth in the respective medium.
Keywords: Leeches, fresh water, cyanobacteria, fungi, algae, Taif