Effect of thermal stress of short duration on the red blood cell parameters of Barbus balcanicus Kotlik, Tsigenopulos, Rab, Berrebi, 2002
In this study, red blood cell parameters of Barbus balcanicus Kotlik, Tsigenopulos, Rab, Berrebi, 2002
subjected to acute thermal stress were investigated. Fish were caught by electro fishing in the Suturlija
river, a small tributary of the river Vrbas (N latitude 44 ̊44′ 38 ̋, E longitude 17 ̊ 09′ 10 ̋) in summer (July)
and transported to the laboratory. Fish were randomly distributed in four aquaria of 30 L each. In all the
four aquaria, the water temperature was continuously kept at 19°C by appropriate devices. After period
of adaptation (three weeks), half of the fish (24) were used as a control group while the other 24 were
subjected to thermal stress by raising the water temperature to 29°C (10°C increase) in 60 min. In both
control and thermally treated, fish blood was collected by heart puncture according to “Animal welfare
act“. Analyses were performed with native blood, without addition of any anticoagulant and the values
of red blood cell count (RBC), haemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume (PCV), Corpuscular
Volume (MCV), Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH) and Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin
Concentration (MCHC) were determined. In the thermally treated fish, the values of PCV and MCV
increased (p = 0.0003 and p = 0.0147 respectively), and those of MCHC decreased substantially (p =
0.0001).