Contaminated fish meal diet induces hematological alterations in albino rat, Rattus norvegicus (Album)

Fish inhabiting polluted waters accumulate various metals in tissues. The transfer of these into human beings through the food chain has adverse effects. The present study was undertaken to elicit the effect of consumption of contaminated fish meal on the hematological parameters of albino rats, Rattus norvegicus (Album). Thirty rats, weighing 45-50gms and randomly divided into 5 groups (n=6), were used for this study. Group I served as control and were given normal diet, group V were given only contaminated fish meal diet while group II, III and IV were given a mixture of normal and contaminated fish meal diet in the ratio of 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3, respectively. All experiments were carried out for 90 days. Results of blood parameters revealed significant reduction (P< 0.05) in Total erythrocyte count (TEC), Hemoglobin (Hb) and packed cell volume (PCV) in group IV and V when compared to control. Leukocytes count showed a significant decrease (P<0.05) in group IV and V. These effects may be due to the presence of heavy metals in the fish meal given to experimental rats. It is therefore concluded that consumption of fish from polluted waters is always associated with health risks.