title: Changes in non-specific biomarkers in the Mediterranean barbel (Barbus meridionalis) exposed to sewage effluents in a Mediterranean stream (Catalonia, NE Spain).
abstract: The effluents from sewage treatment plants strongly influence the water quality and flow of Mediterranean streams. These effluents play a crucial role in maintaining the aquatic communities of these ecosystems, particularly in the absence of natural flow resulting from climate constraints or intensive water use. To detect the ecological effects of these effluents, we used non-lethal biomarkers in Barbus meridionalis and traditional assessment protocols in the Ripoll River (NE of Spain). Our results demonstrate the utility of haematological parameters. In comparison with fish at reference sites, we detected a decrease in haematocrit and haemoglobin, neutrophilia, lymphopenia, monocytosis, a rise in the nucleo-cytoplasmatic ratio of erythrocytes and an increase in the frequency of abnormal, immature and senescent erythrocytes. Many haematological parameters correlated significantly with the environmental parameters measured. In addition to these haematological alterations, histopathological examination also revealed damage in fish livers but no impact was detected by the regional index of biotic integrity using fish as bioindicators. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report this battery of haematological parameters as biomarkers on a freshwater fish in a Mediterranean stream. In a region in which more than 50% of native fish species are classified as endangered or vulnerable, there is an urgent need to find biomarkers that do not harm the animals.
authors.affiliation: Departament de Biologia Animal (Vertebrats), Universitat de Barcelona, Xarxa de Referència de Recerca i Desenvolupament en Aqüicultura de la Generalitat de Catalunya, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain. albertomaceda@gmail.com
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maceda-Veiga
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monroy
authors.forename: Ginés
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Viscor
authors.forename: Adolfo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Sostoa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D003530:Cyprinidae / Q000502:physiology*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006403:Hematologic Tests; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D018570:Risk Assessment; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry; D013030:Spain; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014873:Water Pollutants