Ethylene bisdithiocarbamate (mancozeb^®) affects the haematological parameters in domestic fowl (<i>gallus gallus domesticus</i>)

Abstract

Mancozeb is one of the widely used fungicides in agriculture and ornamental plants. In the current study, the effects of mancozeb on haematological parameters and the morphology of blood cells were investigated in the domestic fowl. Mancozeb in sunflower oil was administered to healthy domestic fowl per os. The birds were divided into two experimental groups. In experiment one, birds were divided into five subgroups such as control (0 mg/kg), 25 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg and 800 mg/kg body-weight to determine the minimum toxic dose of mancozeb within 48 hours. In Experiment two, a single dose of 400mg/kg bodyweight was used and blood sample was collected in spatial temporal periods to establish the time course effect of mancozeb from 5hrs to 12 days post-exposure. The result showed that in experiment one, mancozeb elevated values of monocyte at all doses. In addition, mancozeb caused significant decrease in haemoglobin concentration (Hb), total Red blood cell count (RBC), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), lymphocytes and packed cell volume (PCV). In experiment two, mancozeb caused significant decrease in PCV, mean cell volume (MCV), mean cell hemoglobin (MCH) and lymphocytes from 5 hrs to 12 days post-exposure. The results of the present study suggest that mancozeb has a toxic effect on haemopoetic cells.

Keywords: Mancozeb, RBC count, WBC count, PCV, Hb concentration, Domestic fowl