Influence of Pentachlorobiphenol on the Haematology of African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

Abstract

The influence of pentachlorobiphenol, a polychlorinated biphenyl prevalent in the environment on the haematology of African Catfish Clarias gariepinus juveniles has been studied from the onset of exposure of pentachlor concentrations of T1 0.073 mg/l, T2 0.036 mg/l, T3 0.024 mg/l, T4 0.018 mg/l and control T5 to 21 days. The haematological changes that occurred on the juvenile samples of C. gariepinus were observed. One hundred and fifty juvenile samples of length 2 -3 cm and average weight of 10 – 15 g were used for the study. 12 troughs, each containing seven samples of C. gariepinus served as test samples while 4 troughs of equal number of C. gariepinus served as control. Within the period of exposure the haematological parameters revealed significant decrease in the values of RBC, PCV and Hb (p˂ 0.05) as the dose of the pentachlor increased with the lowest value at T4 0.4 mg/l whereas the control T5 showed higher values indicating the presence of toxins. This was revealed by the significant increase in the value of WBC as the doses of the PCB increased indicating immune response.