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Genotoxicity Effects in Freshwater Fish from a Brazilian Impacted River

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Abstract

This study evaluated the incidence of nuclear abnormalities (NA) in four fish species from an impacted river in Northeastern Brazil, characterized by accumulation of heavy metals and organic sewage. Two carnivores (Serrasalmus brandtii and Hoplias malabaricus) and two omnivore species (Oreochromis niloticus and Geophagus brasiliensis), used as food sources by local populations, were collected during the dry and the rainy season along Contas River basin. Nuclear abnormalities (bulbs, binuclei, lobes, micronuclei, notches, and vacuoles) were reported in all fish samples, with high occurrence in S. brandtii and H. malabaricus, species commonly found in local fish markets. This result agrees with previous analyses of accumulation of trace metals in both species, suggesting an association of genotoxic effects and biomagnification. Moreover, native specimens collected near urban areas presented higher frequencies of NA while O. niloticus seems to be more tolerant to environmental contamination. Therefore, effective policies are required to reduce the contamination of Contas River, since pollution by xenobiotics are potential threats to both local biodiversity and human population.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank UESB for the financial support, ICMBio/SISBIO for authorizing fish collection (License Number 26752-1) and local fisherman Valdemir for the assistance in collecting samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia, Av. José Moreira Sobrinho, s/n, Jequié, BA, 45206-190, Brazil

    Isac Silva de Jesus & Paulo Roberto Antunes de Mello Affonso

  2. Department of Chemistry and Exact Sciences, Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia, Jequié, BA, Brazil

    Marcos de Almeida Bezerra

  3. Centro Politécnico, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Rua Francisco Heráclito dos Santos, 210, Jardim das Américas, Curitiba, PR, Brazil

    Marta Margarete Cestari

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  1. Isac Silva de Jesus
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  2. Marta Margarete Cestari
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  3. Marcos de Almeida Bezerra
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  4. Paulo Roberto Antunes de Mello Affonso
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Correspondence to Isac Silva de Jesus.

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de Jesus, I.S., Cestari, M.M., Bezerra, M.A. et al. Genotoxicity Effects in Freshwater Fish from a Brazilian Impacted River. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 96, 490–495 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-016-1755-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-016-1755-1

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