Histopathological alterations in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) gills caused by thiamethoxam

Abstract

This work aimed to study the effect of new neonicotinoid thiamethoxam on the histological structure of common carp (Cyprinus carpio, L.) gills. Three experimental groups of fish were treated with 6.6, 10 and 20 mg/l thiamethoxam in laboratory conditions. Results showed different histological changes in the gill epithelium, which included lamellar lifting, edema, proliferation of the glandular cells and epithelium, covering the gill filament, fusion and degenerative alterations. The blood circulatory system showed mainly vasodilatation. All thiamethoxam concentrations activated compensatory-adaptive mechanisms, which caused pathological changes in the gills. Moreover, there was a tendency towards the enhancement of the gill histological changes, whose degree of expression was proportional to the increasing thiamethoxam concentrations.