Some Effects of Mercury Chloride on the Liver and Gills of Clarias gariepinus
Ayanda, Opeyemi Isaac
This study was carried out to investigate the effects of mercury chloride on Clarias gariepinus. A static renewal bioassay was adopted in which the test media was renewed at the same concentration once every 48 hours. Based on the LC50 (0.5mg/L), three concentrations, 2.5mg/L, 1.25mg/L, 0.625mg/L mercury chloride in 25 liters water, representing 1/5, 1/10, 1/20 of the LC50 respectively were administered on C. gariepinus juveniles. The control was not given any concentration of the mercury chloride. Six fishes were sacrificed from each treatment group and the control group at five days intervals. The gills and livers were removed and prepared for histopathological observation. The histological examination of the liver and gill tissues showed changes which include locally extensive vacuolar degeneration and variably sized cytoplasmic vacuoles of the hepatocytes and swelling of epithelium in the treated groups. Gills and liver of fishes in the control group did not exhibit any of these changes i.e. the histology of these organs showed no alteration in the control. The study shows that mercury chloride exhibits toxic effects on Clarias gariepinus.
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