Impact of Profenofos on Oxygen Consumption and Gill Histopathology of the Fresh Water Crab, Paratelphusa jacquemontii (Rathbun)

Abstract

In fresh water crab, gills are crucial for respiration, excretion, acid-base balance, and osmotic and ionic regulation. Profenofos, a well-known organophosphate pesticide has been in agricultural use over the last two decades for controlling pests of paddy, cotton and tobacco. In the present study, an attempt has been made to study the effect of profenofos on oxygen consumption and gill histopathology of the freshwater crab, Paratelphusa jacquemontii (Rathbun). The crabs were exposed to sublethal concentration (1/10th and 1/20th of 96 h LC₅₀) of profenofos for a period of 15 days. The treatment of these profenofos brought about significant decrease in oxygen consumption as compared to control. Exposure to profenofos was found to result in several alterations in the histo-architecture of the gills of P. jacquemontii. The alterations included bulging of tips of primary gill filaments and fusion of secondary gill filaments elongated secondary gill lamellae, and infiltration of hemocytes. The significance of this study as a bio-indicator for assessing the toxicity and economic importance of the crab is discussed.