| Summary: | The distribution of species of Hepatozoon from anurans, specifically frogs, and their hostparasite relationships are of great interest. Due to the specifics of the ontogeny of frogs, they form a
link between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. These amphibians are important in food chains,
ensuring the normal functioning of biocenosis. In this study, we present data on the presence of
Hepatozoon sp. in the marsh frog, Pelophylax ridibundus (Pallas, 1771) for the first time in Bulgaria.
The blood smears of 137 individuals were investigated by fluorescence microscopy after staining
with acridine orange. In three of five studied localities, the presence of apicomplexan
haemoparasite from the genus Hepatozoon was revealed. Prevalence and parasitaemia values were
different in frogs populations inhabiting the Chaya River (27.5% and 11.0%, respectively),
Tsalapitsa Rice Fields (6.4% and 9.9%, respectively) and nature wetland Zlato pole (10.0% and
8.1%). It was found that the morphology and morphometric parameters of the parasite gamonts are
closest to Hepatozoon magna, but molecular tools are required to confirm the genus and species
determination. Our findings revealed that acridine orange is appropriate dye for detecting
haemoparasites of the genus Hepatozoon.
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