International Journal of Aquaculture, 2018, Vol.8, No.2, 8-16
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Tacon (1992) observed the existence of a wide variability in the serum proteins amongst farmed fishes. The serum
globulin levels was significantly less than 21.8 g/dl to 44.4 g/dl reported by Myburgh et al. (2008), this variability
may however be attributable to genetic variability, health status of the fish or even to difference in water quality
parameters (Hrubec et al., 2001). The serum globulin levels as observed in the present study are similar to the
normal serum globulin values reported by Yilmaz et al. (2006). The serum albumin-globulin ratio ranged from 1.0
to 13.3 as against 0.21 to 0.54 reported by Myburgh et al. (2008). The reason for this wide variability may have its
root in genetic differences between both groups of fish; however, globulin concentration levels in healthy
Clarias
gariepinus
are less than those of albumin.
Table 3a Serum biochemistry reference intervals of adult male
Clarias gariepinus
farmed in earth pond systems in the Southern
Guinea Savanna agro-ecological zone of Nigeria
Parameter
Mean
Median
S.D
Q
1
Q
3
Minimum
Maximum
Total protein (g/dl)
41.26
41.55
3.43
38.96
43.57
34.43
47.07
Albumin (g/dl)
9.18
9.27
0.75
8.68
9.68
8.16
10.73
Globulin (g/dl)
32.08
32.5
3.78
29.54
34.62
24.70
38.91
A:G
3.58
3.5
0.67
3.11
4.01
2.5
5.0
AST (IU/L)
95.48
95.55
7.02
90.77
100.20
80.73
107.20
ALT (IU/L)
10.43
10.11
2.56
8.71
12.15
7.35
13.72
Glucose (mg/dl)
37.79
39.57
6.80
33.22
42.35
17.31
43.67
Cholesterol (mg/dl)
135.01
136.98
7.08
128.42
140.89
123.77
145.81
LDL (mg/dl)
119.00
118.24
4.77
114.84
123.76
111.27
126.06
HDL (mg/dl)
23.15
22.63
1.84
22.06
23.54
21.07
27.78
Triglycerides (mg/dl)
62.39
62.49
8.81
55.31
71.40
47.09
73.00
ALP (IU/L)
25.19
27.26
4.46
21.12
28.75
19.27
31.49
LDH (mg/dl)
42.152
43.48
7.35
39.00
47.50
28.66
51.25
Urea (mg/dl)
2.61
2.55
0.49
2.14
3.07
1.96
4.11
Creatinine (mg/dl)
0.310
0.30
0.09
0.235
0.40
0.17
0.44
UA (mg/dl)
1.500
1.56
0.147
1.495
1.59
1.05
1.62
Note: Q
1
and Q
3
represent the 25
th
and the 75
th
percentile respectively; A:G = Albumin-Globulin ratio; AST = Aspartate transaminase;
ALT = Alanine transaminase; LDL = Low density lipoproteins; HDL = High density Lipoproteins; ALP = Alkaline phosphatase;
LDH = Lactate dehydrogenase; UA = Uric acid
4.1 Serum glucose concentration
The serum glucose concentrations obtained in this study are lower than the values reported for
C. gariepinus
treated with sub lethal concentrations of potassium permanganate (Kori-Siakpere et al., 2011) and apparently
healthy feral samples from the Nile River (Sabiri et al., 2009); The results of the present study are however,
similar to those reported for
C. gariepinus
by Yilmaz et al. (2006) and in the Silver catfish (
Rhamdia quelen
)
(Lermen et al., 2004), as well as in Sea Bass (
Dicentrarchus labrax
) (Coz-Rakovac et al., 2005). An increase in
serum glucose concentration in teleosts has been reported to be caused by a wide variety of environmental
stressors including hypoxic conditions, starvation and capture stress (Hunn and Greer, 1991; Percin and
Konyalioglu, 2008; Kori-Siakpere et al., 2011).
4.2 Serum alanine amino transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) activity
The ALT values in the present study ranged from 6.13 IU/L to 27.14 IU/L and the AST values ranged from 37.05
IU/L to 121.64 IU/L. These values markedly differs from those obtained in feral
Clarias gariepinus
by Myburgh
et al. (2008), who had reported values ranging from 0.0 IU/L to 27.0 IU/L for alanine amino transaminase (ALT)
and 43.6 IU/L to 157.8 IU/L for aspartate amino transaminase (AST). ALT and AST belong to the non-plasma
specific enzymes which are localized within tissue cells of the liver, heart, gills, kidneys, and muscles (Hunn and
Greer, 1991; Percin and Konyalioglu, 2008). Heavy metal compounds, pesticides, sublethal concentration of
phenols and organic pollution may induce changes in blood ALT and AST activities in the serum of fish (Asztalos
