Effects of short term fasting and refeeding on some hematological and immune parameters in Mesopotamichthys sharpeyi (Günther, 1874) fingerlings

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of short-term fasting and re-feeding on hematological and immunological parameters of Mesopotamichthys sharpeyi (Gunther, 1874) fingerlings. After 2 weeks of adaptation, 360 fish with an average initial body weight of 6.13±0.40g were distributed in nine 300-L circular fiberglass tanks provided with aeration system following a completely randomized design. The fish were divided in 3 experimental groups (each in triplicate) that included 4, 8 and 16 days of fasting. After food deprivation periods, fish in all the experimental groups were fed to satiation two times a day for a period of 32 days. Blood samples were collected from 15 fish in each treatment (5 fish from each replicate) at the initial and the end of fasting and also re-feeding periods. Blood samples were collected from the caudal vasculature vein using heparinized syringes. Results showed that the numbers of red blood cells, hemoglobin and hematocrit were significantly lower (P 0.05) in the number of white blood cells, though their number increased significantly after refeeding period (P 0.05). The results of the study showed that food deprivation up to 16 days and subsequent refeeding did not have a significant effect on hematologic and immune indices in M. sharpeyi fingerlings.