Haematological Changes in African Catfish (Clarias Gariepinus)Exposed to Mixture of Atrazine and Metolachlor in the Laboratory

Abstract

Seventy Two (72) male and female African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) juveniles of mean length (10.74 ± 1.81 g) were exposed to different concentrations of atrazine and metolachlor (0.00 mg/1-control, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04 and 0.05mg/1) for 14 days to determine its effect on haematological parameters of the fish. The results obtained indicated significant (P<0.05) reductions with increased concentrations of the chemical in haemoglobin (Hb), Red blood Cell (RBC), packed cell volume (PCV), lymphocytes, platelets and mean corpuscular volume (MCV). The white blood cell (WBC), neutrophils, monocytes, mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentrations (MCHC) in fish exposed to the pesticides were significantly (P<0.05) higher than that of the control. The data obtained from this work will contribute to the base line haematological parameters for use in monitoring health status of Clarias gariepinus in the wild and culture medium