Animal Research International

212 – 218

Authors: MGBENKA, Bernard Obialo, ASOGWA, Maureen Obioma and UGWU, Lawrence Linus Chukwuma

The infuence of detary protein content on some nutritional parameters of Clarias gariepinus ry was studied Seven diets were formulated to yield 28, 31, 34, 37, 40, 43, and 46% crude protein (CP) while the 48.8% CP diet was prepared rom microencapsulated whoe egg and preserved in a refrigerator at 7º C. The diets were fed to advanced fry of C. garepinus (mean initial weight, 1.6 ± 0.24 g) in triplicate 25 L plastic baths per treatment at 5% body weight per day in three portions for 56 days The mean weight gain (MWG), daily rate of growth (DRG) increased as the dietary protein level increased up to 40% but gradually declined as CP level increased while increase in CP did not signiicantly affect daily rate o feeding (P > 0.05). The best response of fish togross efficiency offood conversion was within37 - 40% detary CP and thus refected the best mean weight gain (0.86 - 1.93g), DRG (0.17 – 20 g), and nitrogen metabolism (12.62 - 13.43 mg/100g) respectively. There was a relatively high metabolizable energy:protein ratio for the 48.80% CP det (9.88 KJ/mg) compared to 40% CP diet (7.60 mg/kg). Similarly, the low net protein utilization (NPU) value recorded wth dets of between 31% to 40% CP comparedto the NPU value of higher CP level (43% to48.8%) suggests that despite the apparently better utility of protein by fish fed the higher CPdiets, much of the ingested protein might have been affected by endogenous nitrogen losses resulting in its unavailability for productive use by the fish.

224 – 226

Authors: ORJI, Raphael Christopher Agamadodaigwe

Transporation stress was investigaed in Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus) by transporting samples in open rectangular iron tanks from Panyam fsh farm, Plateau State of Nigeria to Universty of Jos Nigeria. All fsh appeared more stressed with higherdensities and increasingmedia salt empoyed in transportation. There was a signiicant difference between mean haematocrit values of control (before transportation) and those of low, medium and high densities (p < 0.05). Transportation under different saline concentrations showed significant dference between means haematocrit value of control and varying meda saline levels (p < 0.05) except 1% saline. There were immediate and delayed mortalities, lasting up to three days after transportation except in aerated samples.

231 – 234

Authors: OLUAH, Ndubuisi Stanley, EZIGBO, Joseph Chukwura and ANYA, Nnenna Catherine

One hundred and eighty adult Clarias albopunctatus (mean weight 160±2.7g) were subjected to sublethal concentrations of Gammalin 20 and Actellic 25 EC (0, 0.3;and 1.0 μg/l) in a static bioassay renewal system for 18 days. The changes in the activities of the liver and serum lacate dehydrogenase (LDH) during the period of exposure were studied. The exposure ofC. albopunctatus to these pesticides evoked significant increase (P< 0.05) in both the liver and serum LDH activities. There was a progressive increase in both the liver and serum LDH activities following exposure to the pesticides. When compared with the control, the LDH activities were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the treatment groups. The LDH activities in both the liver and the serum were higher in the fish exposed to Gammalin 20 than in the fish treated with similar concentrations of Actellic 25 EC. The serum LDH activity in the group exposed to a mixture of 03μg/l of Gammalin 20 and Actellic 25 EC was significantly higher the activities in the fish exposed the either 0.3 μg/l Gammalin 20 or Actellic 25 EC. These observations suggest that these pesticides affect the energy metabolism of the fish.

240 – 245

Authors: EZEAGU, Ikechukwu Edwin

Raw, cooked and HCl-extracted baobab, Adansonia digitata seed meals were used for biological and nutritional evaluation studies. The seed is low in protein (16.60g/100g DM) butcould be a good source of oil (17.50g/100g) and minerals, particularly sodum, potassium and phosphorus, which contained 228.0, 1429.0 and 924.5 mg/100gDM respectively. Low levels ofantinutritional factors such as tannin, phytate, cyanide, oxalate, nitrate/nitrite and absence otrypsn inhibitors were observed. Seed protein is high in sulur-amino acid, with a chemical score (CS) of 126.80, but marginally limiting in lysine and threonine, with CS of 64.31 and 85.59 respectively based on the preschool age (2-5yrs) reference protein requirement. The seed oil contain appreciable level of unsaturated fatty acids with oleic and linoleic acids making up 66.32% of total fatty acids. The raw diet was similar to the casein diet in weightgain, feed intake, net protein retention (NPR) and true digestibility (TD) but significanty inferior in protein effcency ratio (PER).Cooking did not have any significant effect on feed intake but significantly lowered the weight gain relative to the raw and casein diets. HCl-extracted meal exerted signiicantly lower weight gain compared to the raw, cooked and casein diets It is concluded that the raw seed showed promise as a source of food supplementand is likely to be satisfactory in supportinggrowth and maintenance in livestock feeding.

252 – 254

Authors: OKAFOR, Anthony Ikechukwu and CHUKWU, Lucian Obinnaya

The buccal ventilatory rate of the African lungfish, Protopterus annectens (Owen) ollowing acclimation to diluted seawater was investigated under laboratory conditions for sx days Healthy adult specimens of Afrcan lungfish, Protopterus annectens (Owen) (mean weight 299.4g andmean length 38.9 cm) procuredrom Anambra river at Otuocha were subjected to the following concentrations of dilute seawater: 0%, 5% (s = 1.8‰o), 10% (s = 3.5‰), 15% (s = 5.3‰), 20% (s = 7.0 ‰), 30% (s = 10.5 ‰) and 40% (s = 14.0 ‰) respectively. The results revealed that increasein salinity had a sgnificant positive correlation (r = 0.92, p < 0.05) with increase in buccal ventilatory rate. The mean least and highest buccal ventilatory rates were 5.32 and 12.26 times per hour at 1.8%o and 14.0%o salinities respectively. The implications of the findingsfor the culture ofthis fish species in estuarine ecosystemsare discussed.

261 - 266

Authors: OTITOJU Olawale and ONWURAH Ikechukwu Noel Emmanuel

Studies of superoxide dsmutase (SOD) induction in rats exposed to locally produced insecticide; “Rambo” of which the active chemical compound is permethrin (0.6% w/w) was performed. The calcium levels in the blood pasma of the exposed rats were also evaluated.The rats were divded into three groups offve rats per cageEachgroupof rats was fed with 1 %, 5 % or 10 % of the insecticide in their dets The control group wasfed normal det. The effect of insecticide at various concentrations on superoxide dsmutase (SOD) activty in the blood plasma was not sgnificantly different (P > 0.05) in the newly weaned rats (NWR). However, in the middle-aged rats (MAR) and aged rats (AR) groups, the results were sgniicantly dferent (P < 0.05) against the parallel controls. Comparison of the efect of the insecticide on SOD induction at various concentrations among the groups based on age difference showed significantly diferent result (P < 005), especially among the groups fed with 10 % (w/w) of the insecticide in the diet. Serum Ca2+ level (0.51 ± 0.22mg/ml) increasedrom newly weaned rats groups to (0.66 ± 0.24mg/ml) in the middle-aged rats and (0.63 ±0.04mg/ml) for the aged rats The observed Ca2+ increase was significantly high for rats fed 10 % (w/w) concentration of the insecticide in the diet (P < 0.05). This increase tends to suggest a concentration- dependent effect. The no-observed-effect-concentration (NOEC) wasound to be 0.006 g permethrin per 100 g of the det, which is equivalent to 1% of the “Rambo” insecticide per 100g of the feed. Results of this study show that in non-target organisms “Rambo” insect powder may induce superoxde dismuase activity, thus suggesting, oxidative-stress related toxicity. The observed increase in calcium ion especially at 10 % (w/w) of the insecticide showed that permethrin may induce toxic effects associated with cell deah via mitochondria uncoupling and loss in ATP metabolism.

275 – 286

Authors: EYO, Joseph Effiong

Cytogeneticvariations among four Clarias species from Anambra river, Nigeria were studiedusing leucocytes culture techniques. Heterogeneity in chromosome number (2n = 48 in Clarias ebriensis and C. albopunctatus to 2n = 56 in C. anguillaris and C. gariepinus) and Karyotype morphologies occurred among the cariids The chromosomes were characterized by a highproportion of meta-submetacentric chromosomes and low proportion of acrocentric chromosomes The females karyotype morphologes exhibited a heteromorphic pair suspected to be the sex chromosome complex. The following formulae were established for the male clariids; C ebriensis 6m + 22sm + 20a FN =76;Calbopunctatus 4m ± 22sm + 22a FN = 74; C. gariepinus 8m + 24a FN = 88; and C. anguillaris 8m + 26m + 22a FN = 90. The emale karyotype morphologies were C ebrienss 6m + 23sm + 19a FN = 77, C. albopunctatus 4m ± 23sm + 21a FN = 75, C. gariepinus 8m + 25sm + 23a FN = 89 and C. anguillaris 8m + 27sm + 21a FN = 91. A generic chromosomal number of 2n = 54+ 4 for the clariids was suggested. The almost uniform karyotype morphologies and the closeness of the chromosomenumbers around the generic chromosome number may suggest success with which the clariids may hybridize in nature.