(1) Sri Paramakalyani Centre of Excellence in Environmental Sciences, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Alwarkurichi, Tamil Nadu, 627 412, India;(2) Department of Zoology, The American College, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, 625 002, India
Abstract:
This study was undertaken to determine the effect of chronic exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of tannery effluent (TE) on the humoral antibody response and the cell-mediated immune response of the fish Cyprinous carpio. The LC50 value of the TE for C. carpio was determined by bioassay to be 3.8%. Sub-lethal concentrations of TE (0.6% and 0.3%) significantly suppressed the humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. Exposure of C. carpio to the TE had a significant effect on mean acceptance time (MAT) for transplanted scales. MAT was found to be 5–8 days for autografts and 4–7 days for allografts. The somatic indices of the kidney and spleen were reduced compared with controls.