Erythrocyte Recovery in Oreochromis niloticus Fish Exposed to Urban Effluents

Urban activities pollute aquatic ecosystems, and the integrity of organisms such as fish. The use of cytological techniques, such as the analysis of blood cellular integrity using the Micronucleus test, can help detect mutagenic damage as a result to urban effluents exposure. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the frequency of micronucleus and other nuclear abnormalities in Oreochromis niloticus fish environmentally exposed to urban effluents in relation to their erythrocyte recovery capacity when exposed to clean water (30 and 45 days). The results indicated high copper, dissolved iron, nickel, and thermotolerant coliform levels in the urban stream. There was no difference in the frequency of micronuclei. In contrast, cells with nuclear nuclei, binucleates, kidney-shaped nuclei, notched nuclei, lobed nuclei, and segmented nuclei decreased according to the time the fish were exposed to clean water. When exposed to clean water, we conclude that urban fish recover from genotoxic and cytotoxic damage.