Histopathological study of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) fed aflatoxin-contaminated diets

Aflatoxicosis Feed poisoning Common carp Tissue damage.

Authors

  • Shima Shahafve Behbahan Khatam Alanbia University of Technology, Natural Resources and Environmental Faculty, Aquaculture Department, Behbahan, Iran
  • Mahdi Banaee Aquaculture Department, Natural Resource Faculity, Behbahan Khatam Alanbia University of Technology
  • Behzad Nematdoost Haghi Behbahan Khatam Alanbia University of Technology, Natural Resources and Environmental Faculty, Aquaculture Department, Behbahan, Iran
  • Mohammad Mohiseni Behbahan Khatam Alanbia University of Technology, Natural Resources and Environmental Faculty, Aquaculture Department, Behbahan, Iran
April 21, 2017

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This study aimed to evaluate the effects of aflatoxin-contaminated diet on histopathological alterations of the gill, liver, kidney and intestine tissues in common carp. Fish were randomly distributed into 15 tanks, i.e. in five experimental groups; (I) control fed with normal diet without solvent and aflatoxin, (II) positive control received feed with only solvent, and (III-V) fed on diets containing 0.5, 0.7 and 1.4 mg kg-1 of aflatoxin, respectively. After 21-days, 12 fish per treatment were randomly caught, anesthetized and euthanized. Then, histological sections of the tissues were prepared. The main aflatoxicosis symptoms in the gills were fusion and disorganisation of the secondary gill lamellae, shortening of the secondary lamellae, inflammation of mucous membranes, and exfoliation of the gill epithelium. Liver of the infected fish indicated cloudy swelling of hepatocytes, cellular hypertrophy, formation of vacuoles in the cytoplasm, and necrosis of liver parenchyma. Expansion of Bowman's space, necrosis of urinary tract, exfoliation and degeneration of the urinary tract epithelium, expansion of the urinary lumen and dilation of the urinary space were observed symptoms in the kidney. Changes in the intestine of the aflatoxin-treated fish were; expansion of goblet cells, necrosis of mucous layers, exfoliation of the mucous epithelium, and bleeding in the intestinal wall. The results indicates that feeding common carp with diets contaminated with aflatoxin, even in low concentrations (≤ 1.4 mg kg-1 feed) can cause histopathological damages and disturb their physiological balance.