Possible chemical causes of skeletal deformities in natural populations of Aphanius fasciatus collected from the Tunisian coast

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) 2013-03, Vol.90 (11), p.2683-2689
• Main Authors: Kessabi, Kaouthar, Annabi, Ali, Hassine, Aziza Ibn Hadj, Bazin, Ingrid, Mnif, Wissem, Said, Khaled, Messaoudi, Imed
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: abnormal development; Abnormalities, Drug-Induced - epidemiology; Abnormalities, Drug-Induced - veterinary; adults; Agnatha. Pisces; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Aphanius; Aphanius fasciatus; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; cadmium; chemical analysis; coastal water; copper; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on vertebrates; Endocrine disruption; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental Sciences; estrogenic properties; fish; Fish Diseases - chemically induced; Fish Diseases - epidemiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; heavy metals; industrialization; Killifishes; Metallic pollution; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Organic pollution; pollutants; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - analysis; sediments; Skeletal deformities; skeleton; spatial variation; Spinal Diseases - chemically induced; Spinal Diseases - epidemiology; Spinal Diseases - veterinary; Spine - abnormalities; synthetic estrogens; temporal variation; Tunisia; Tunisian coasts; vertebrae; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; water pollution; zinc
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.11.047

► Patterns of skeletal deformities were detected in natural population of Aphanius fasciatus. ► The high incidence of spinal deformities was observed in the most polluted site. ► The most polluted site is contaminated mainly by heavy metals and organic compounds. ► Relation between the observed deformities and chemical pollution was suggested. This study attempt to quantify and identify skeletal deformities in natural populations of Aphanius fasciatus collected from the Tunisian coast and tends to found a possible relationship between these anomalies and several types of pollutants presents in the environment. Fish were collected from one reference area (S1: coast of Luza) and three polluted areas (S2: industrialized coast of Sfax, S3: coast of Khniss and S4: Hamdoun’Oued). Various patterns of skeletal deformities were diagnosed using double staining technics, and the levels of heavy metals (Cd, Cu and Zn), various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and estrogenic compounds were determined in water and sediment from different sites. Spatio-temporal variation of the spinal deformities frequencies in A. fasciatus show that high incidence of spinal anomalies has been recorded in population collected from S2 in comparison to three other ones. Morphological results indicated that skeletal deformities of adult A. fasciatus were grouped into 13 categories that described abnormalities on spines, vertebrae, arcs and mandibles. A total of 1025 abnormalities were quantified. The results of chemical analysis showed that the levels of heavy metals and PAHs were significantly higher in S2 than in S1, S3 and S4. High level of estrogenic activity was observed only in S4. A possible correlation between environmental exposures to a mixture of pollutants in coastal waters in S2 and spinal deformities in A. fasciatus was suggested.