The function of blood is to maintain tissue stability by keeping the internal environment of the body constant. However, changes in the values of blood parameters take place in fish inhabiting water polluted with heavy metals. The objective of this study was to evaluate the sublethal effect of lead on red blood cell (RBC) and white blood cell (WBC) counts, hematocrit, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and MCH concentration (MCHC) of Cirrhinus mrigala and Ctenopharyngodon idella exposed to 0.06 mg/l Pb and 0.04 mg/l Pb, respectively, during 28 days exposure. Static bioassay method was employed for the study. Fingerlings were sampled for the selected parameters, on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th days. Lead induced changes in the present study were a reduction in the RBC, WBC counts, hematocrit, and hemoglobin, and fluctuating MCV coupled with an increase in MCH and MCHC in both the species. MCV values of C. mrigala have showed an increase during the 7th and 14th days and subsequent decrease during the 21st and 28th days, while C. idella exhibited an intermittent rise and fall till the end of the exposure period. MCH and MCHC have increased in both species at all exposure periods.
Key words: Lead, haematological, sublethal red cell indices, carps
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