INFLUENCE OF DURATION OF EXPOSITION TO ME THOXYETHYLMERCURY ACETATE ON THE PROPORTION OF GREAT AND SMALL LYMPHOCYTES IN BLOOD OF CARPS (CYPRINUS-CARPIO L)

The purpose of this work was to study possible hematological changes i n carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) which might be induced by the experimental poisoning with metoxyethylmercury acetate which is used as fungicide. The experimental group of fishes was exposed to the named substance w hich was mixed with the feed during three weeks. The total lymphocytes number decreased in experimental group already at 7th day (p < 0.01), and remained almost at the same level, but considerably lower than th e experimental group, until the end of the experiment. The number of s mall lymphocytes in the experimental group decreased also at the 7th d ay of the experiment (p < 0.01), and the decreasing tendency continued up to the end of the experiment. The number of large lymphocytes incr eased at the day 7th of the experiment (p < 0.01), and the increasing tendency continued until the end of the experiment. The population of large lymphocytes showed the cytopathological changes in the form of c ytoplasmic vacuoles and cytoplasmic shoots. The frequency of these cha nges increased through the experiments.