ABSTRACT
Randomly selected 500 fingerlings of Labeo rohita were collected from fish seed hatchery Muzaffar Garh. Six groups of 40 fish each were exposed to subleathal concentration of Imidacloprid [120 mg L[-1]] under short-term [2, 4 and 8 days] and long term [16, 32 and 64 days] conditions to assess the effect of this most extensively used insecticide on the heart, liver and kidney of economically most important fresh water fish, L. rohita, in Pakistan. Separate control groups were used for each Imidacloprid treatment. No drastic histopathological changes were observed in heart structure following short and long term treatment with Imidacloprid. Exposure of liver to Imidacloprid resulted in severe degenerative changes, which were directly related to exposure time. Wrinkling of hepatocyte cell membrane, hepatocyte necrosis and degeneration, dislocation of nucleus, dilation of blood sinusoid and pycnosis of hepatic nuclei were the visible changes in liver histology in various experimental treatments. Comparison of treated and untreated kidney of L. rohita revealed wide Bowman's space, renal tubular lumen enlargement, necrosis and inflammation of cells. Our results are the pioneer report indicating that imidacloprid can act as strong toxic agent for L. rohita
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine the presence of Babesia bovis (B. bovis) in large ruminants in southern Punjab and its effect on hematological and serum biochemical profile of host animals.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Blood samples were collected from 144 large ruminants, including 105 cattle and 39 buffaloes, from six districts in southern Punjab including Multan, Layyah, Muzaffar Garh, Bhakar, Bahawalnagar and Vehari. Data on the characteristics of animals and herds were collected through questionnaires. Different blood (hemoglobin, glucose) and serum (ALT, AST, LDH, cholesterol) parameters of calves and cattle were measured and compared between parasite positive and negative samples to demonstrate the effect of B. bovis on the blood and serological profile of infected animals.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>27 out of 144 animals, from 5 out of 6 sampling districts, produced the 541-bp fragment specific for B. bovis. Age of animals (P=0.02), presence of ticks on animals (P=0.04) and presence of ticks on dogs associated with herds (P=0.5) were among the major risk factors involved in the spread of bovine babesiosis in the study area. ALT concentrations were the only serum biochemical values that significantly varied between parasite positive and negative cattle.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>: This study has reported for the first time the presence of B. bovis in large ruminant and the results can lead to the prevention of babesiosis in the region to increase the livestock output.</p>