Performance and haematological indices in rats exposed to monocrotophos contamination.

Monocrotophos is an organophosphate pesticide used in agriculture to control insect pests. Changes in performance and haematological parameters (such as packed cell volume, white blood cells, neutrophils, eosinophils and lymphocytes) were used to assess the effect of the pesticide on rats chronically exposed to 12.5 parts per million (ppm), 25 ppm, 50 ppm, 100 ppm and 200 ppm for 10 days, while the control rats were placed on borehole water. Administration of the pesticide to the animals resulted in several physical deteriorations including appearance and agility. A significant reduction (p < .05) was observed in the weight gained by rats while the liver-to-body weight ratio increased significantly (p < .05) as the level of exposure to monocrotophos increased. Whereas packed cell volume, white blood cells and lymphocytes increased significantly (p < .05), neutrophils and eosinophils counts reduced significantly (p < .05) as the concentration of monocrotophos in the drinking water increased. Overall, the data indicated that exposure to monocrotophos portends serious consequences on the performance and haematological parameters of rats.