Haematological and Haemopoietic Studies in an Air‐Breathing Fish on Cyanocobalamin and Folacin Deficient Diet

Experimental deficiencies of cyanocobalamin and folacin separately and in combination were induced in an air‐breathing teleost fish Channa punctatus with the help of a complete vitamin test diet. Cyanocobalamin deficiency produced normocytic hypochromic anaemia while the folacin deficiency as well as the combined deficiency of both vitamins produced macrocytic hypochromic anaemia. Leucocytosis was observed in the individual and combined deficiencies of these vitamins with significant increase in thrombocytes and decrease in neutrophil population. The relative population of different developing stages in erythropoiesis showed significant change. Thus small lymphoid haemoblast decreased in number while young and mature reticulocyte populations increased. Recovery to normal condition could be obtained by restoring deficient groups of fishes to complete vitamin test diet fortified with an initial i.m. administration of 0.01 mg/g and 0.02 mg/g body wt. of cyanocobalamin and folacin respectively. A comparison of deficiency effects on C. punctatus with Labeo rohita shows that the former, a carnivorous species with higher Hb content in peripheral blood is more susceptible to deficiency than the latter, a herbivorous species of fish with lower Hb values.