Abstract
Effects of industrial and municipal wastewaters on the freshwater snail, Lanistes carinatus, were evaluated. Concentrations of some chemicals in some effluents were greater than permissible limits promulgated internationally by various jurisdictions. Pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) observed in tissues of snails collected during summer were greater than those measured in snails collected during winter. Catalase activities observed during autumn were greater than those observed during other seasons. Activities of catalase were greater at all sites near sources of contamination than in snails from the reference site (S6). Lactate dehydrogenase activity was also greater at all sites relative to the location designated as the reference (S6), at which activities did not exceed 8.10 U/L. Patterns of genomic DNA in snails, as determined by use of OPA-02 primer, were significantly different among sites. Location S1 (Belshay village) exhibited 11 bands, followed by S2 (El-Demer zone) and S5 (Rosetta branch) which exhibited 6 bands. In contrast, all sites exhibited greater numbers of bands when the OPA-08 primer was used. Thus, DNA fingerprinting, lactate dehydrogenase, and catalase offer useful biomarkers in ecotoxicology and risk assessment programs.
Highlights
Gastropods are ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems and are prone to be exposed to various pollutants, including metals, industrial chemicals, pesticides, and hydrocarbons (Alonso and Camargo 2009; Hellou 2011)
The present study focused on distributions of chemical pollutants, in surface waters of the Kafr El-Zayat district and their effects on several biomarkers of the health of the freshwater snail
The fact that mean concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), e.g., organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were found during winter and greater concentrations were observed during summer might be due to effects of precipitation of discharge, pH, temperature, microbial status, and mineralization
Summary
Gastropods are ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems and are prone to be exposed to various pollutants, including metals, industrial chemicals, pesticides, and hydrocarbons (Alonso and Camargo 2009; Hellou 2011). Exposure of snails to mixtures of chemical stressors can cause various effects in physiology and production of reactive oxidative stress. These effects have led to the development of biomarkers for rapid assessment of various types of contaminants to allow measures to be taken rapidly to minimize population or ecosystem-level effects and to develop appropriate restoration (Sarkar et al 2006; Sarkar 2006). The integrity of DNA can be affected by exposure to genotoxic agents that are clastogens that can cause breaks in strands of DNA, loss of methylation, and formation of adducts with DNA
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