International Journal of Aquaculture, 2018, Vol.8, No.2, 8-16
8
Research Article Open Access
Serum Biochemistry Reference Intervals of
Clarias gariepinus
Farmed in
Earthen Pond Systems in the Southern Guinea Savanna Agro-Ecological Zone of
Nigeria
Bolade Thomas Adeyemo
1, 2
, Solomon Gabriel Shola
2
, Apochi James Ocheme
2, 3
, Obande Roselen Ada
2
, Dagah Helen
1
, Odo
Joel
2
1 Department of Veterinary Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Abuja, PMB 117 Abuja, Nigeria
2 Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, College of Fisheries and Forestry, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue state, Nigeria
3 West African Agricultural Advancement Program, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Garki Abuja, Nigeria
Corresponding author Email
International Journal of Aquaculture, 2018, Vol.8, No.2 doi
Received: 15 Nov., 2017
Accepted: 04 Jan., 2018
Published: 19 Jan., 2018
Copyright © 2018
Adeyemo et al., This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Preferred citation for this article
:
Adeyemo B.T., Shola S.G., Ocheme A.J., Ada O.R., Helen D., and Joel O., 2018, Serum biochemistry reference intervals of
Clarias gariepinus
farmed in
earthen pond systems in the Southern Guinea Savanna Agro-Ecological zone of Nigeria, International Journal of Aquaculture, 8(2): 8-16 (doi:
Abstract
The monitoring of health in fish farms partly relies on the availability of exact serum biochemistry reference intervals as
these data provides a base for the interpretation of tests to assess health status. Serum biochemistry reference intervals for
Clarias
gariepinus
cultured in earthen pond system was established following evaluations of two hundred and forty healthy fish sampled
across eight farms. The S.B.R.I were: Total protein 31.22-42.11 g/dl
in juveniles and 38.96-43.57 g/dl in adults; Albumin 6.72-10.21
g/dl in juveniles and 6.25-8.93 g/dl in adults; Globulin 8.39-50.83 in juveniles and 24.23-33.64 g/dl in adults; Alanine
aminotransferase 12.55-23.65 IU/L in juveniles and 7.35-13.72 IU/L in adults; Aspartate aminotransferase 90.62-121.64 IU/L in
juveniles and 83.41-101.62 IU/L in adults; Glucose 17.04-26.22 mg/dl in juveniles and 10.17-48.93 mg/dl in adults; Cholesterol
91.09-101.24 mg/dl in juveniles and 91.40-155.87 mg/dl in adults; HDL-cholesterol 9.17-29.01 mg/dl in juveniles and 19.27-29.01
mg/dl in adults. Other results include Lactate dehydrogenase 28.06-54.03 mg/dl in juveniles and Urea 1.96-4.11 mg/dl in juvenile
fish. These data will serve as a tool for the monitoring of health and nutritional condition of
Clarias gariepinus
farmed in ponds at
the Southern Guinea Savanna agro-ecological zone of Nigeria.
Keywords
Albumin; Alanine aminotransferase; Globulin; Aspartate aminotransferase;
Clarias gariepinus
1 Background
The aquaculture industry in Nigeria has undergone rapid expansion in recent years (FDF, 2007). With the demand
for fish, farmers have intensified production resulting in higher stocking and feeding rates (Tiamiyu and Solomon,
2011). Concurrent with the increase in production, the industry has experienced an increase in fish health
problems (Oladele et al., 2010; 2011) as experienced by other animal agriculture industries following the
development of intensive production systems (Post, 1993; Roberts and Ellis, 2001).
Clarias gariepinus
in Nigeria grows well under various culture systems including earth pond systems (Fagbenro et
al., 2004; FAO, 2014).The Southern Guinea Savanna agro-ecological zone with a bimodal rainfall (averaging
1,000 mm to 1,300 mm per year) and maximum temperatures 26.0 to 38.0°C (Jidere et al., 2007) with several
drainage and wet land systems is suitable for farming
C. gariepinus
in earthen ponds (Teugels, 1990; Ugwumba
and Nnabuife, 2008; Ejiola and Yinka, 2012).
Serum biochemical parameters have been described as excellent physio-pathological indicators of fish health
(Roberts, 2012). These parameters have been utilized as a diagnostic tool not only for physiological alterations
occasioned by stress (Hrubec et al., 2001; Wagner and Congleton, 2004), but also for detecting structural
alterations in organs/systems produced by diseases (Sandnes et al., 1988; Svodova and Vykusova, 1991);
exposures to toxicants and or nutritional insufficiencies (Tacon, 1992; Artacho et al., 2000; Adeyemo et al., 2016).
