Aspects of the hematology of fishes caught in contaminated water bodies

Abstract

A study was carried out to determine aspects the hematological profiles of different species of fish caught in fresh water systems at Bodu and Choba in Rivers State, Nigeria. Cardiac blood was collected from 20 fishes per specie and subjected to hematological analyses which included hemoglobin concentration (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), white blood cell counts (WBC) and Glutathione-S-tranferase (GST). Catfish had the highest hemoglobin value (14.6 ± 3.5 g/100 ml), while Mudskipper and African Sleeper had the least (3.3 ± 1.3 and 2.9 ± 0.6 g/100 ml respectively). Similarly, the highest PCV value (43.9%) was recorded in Catfish, while the African Sleeper had the least (8.6%). The Mudskipper and African Sleeper on the other hand had the highest white blood cell values of 4.8 ± 0.9 and 4.2 ± 0.8 respectively. Glutathione - S transferase value for the Mudskipper at 24.9 ± 2.1 μl was highest while the 6.3 ± 0.6 μl recorded in Catfish was the least.

Keywords: fishes, hematological profile, and glutathione-s- transferase, Nigeria

Animal Production Research Advances Vol. 1(2) 2005: 102-103