ISSN 2736-1624
Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology ISSN 7295-2849 Vol. 2 (4), pp. 001-005, April, 2012. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Influence of sex, source, health status and acclimation on the haematology of Clarias gariepinus (Burch,1822)
Gabriel, U.U.1*, Ezeri, G.N.O.2 and Opabunmi, O.O.2
1Department of Fisheries, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, P.M.B. 5080, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
2Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria.
Accepted 13 January, 2012
Abstract
The influence of sex, source (pond and wild) acclimation and health status on some blood parameters of C. gariepinus was studied. There were no significant differences between the blood parameters (haemoglobin (Ht), packed cell volume (PCV), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), red blood cells (RBC), RBC indices ( MCHC;, MCH: and MCV), white blood cells (WBC) and differential counts (neutrophils, lymphocytes, basophils and eosinophils) of the males and females among the apparently healthy and sick group of fish under sex, source and acclimation. Differences in blood parameters in fish before and after acclimation were noted in the WBC (p<0.001), neutrophils (p<0.001) and lymphocytes (p<0.001). Interactions between sex, acclimation and health status did not significantly influence all the parameters studied; however, various degrees of significant differences were produced by the interactions of health status and source of fish in the WBC (p<0.05), neutrophils (p<0.001), lymphocytes (p<0.001) and monocytes (p<0.05). Pooled data for males and females, apparently healthy and sick fish, respectively, showed there were significant differences between the WBC, neutrophils and lymphocytes of males and females under acclimation as well as monocytes of apparently healthy and sick fish under source and neutrophils of the same under acclimation. Results from this study suggest that sex, source of fish, and period of acclimation have some degrees of influence on the blood parameters of C. gariepinus and hence the need to reckon with them when reporting haematological parameters of this fish species.
Key words: Sex, source, acclimation, Clarias gariepinus, haematology.