Histopathological outcomes designating the toxicological aspects of Fumonisin B1 on Cultured Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus

Abstract

Fumonisins are mycotoxins produced by Fusarium verticillioides and F. proliferatum. They occur worldwide and are found predominantly in maize and in maize-based animal feeds. A total of 100 Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus were grouped and fed ration contaminated with different levels of Fumonisin B1 and observed for one week to determine the median lethal dose (LD50). Another experiment was operated to determine the clinicopathological picture of O. niloticus when experimentally fed with ration containing 1/10 and ½ of the LD50 of Fumonisin B1 and then observed for another six weeks. The clinical signs postmortem (PM) lesions and mortalities were recorded daily. Kidney, gills, brain, liver and spleen were sampled and examined for any histopathological alterations. It was found that the LD50 of Fumonisin B1 was 0.6 ppm. Additionally, there were no any pathognomonic clinical signs. The results of histopathological sections were in the form of hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic alterations, hyperplasia of gill filaments, ischemic neuronal injury and demyelination of the brain and depletion of the lymphoid elements and melanomacrophage centers of spleen.