Reference values of hematological parameters for juvenile Cyprinus carpio

Analysis of hematological parameters is sometimes used for assessment of fish health and physiological status, both in aquaculture and research. However, determination of hematological reference values in fish is much more difficult than in higher vertebrates due to their poikilothermy and high spatial, temporal and individual variability. In the present paper we summarized the data obtained in 2006-2014 for groups of from 41 to 146 (for various parameters) clinically healthy common carp, 5-8 month old juveniles, harvested in autumn from rearing ponds and acclimated in the laboratory recirculatory system for 3-4 weeks at 16-18 degrees C. The 95% confidence levels of the studied parameters were: Ht 24.0-25.5%, Hb 62.4-69.6 g/L, RBC 1.35-1.51 x 10(6)/mu L, MCV 178.6-200.1 fL, MCH 47.3-53.1 pg, MCHC 256.6-284.9 g/L, frequency of erythroblasts 2.1-4.1%, WBC 51.3-60.8 x 10(3)/mu L, frequency of: lymphocytes 87.3-91.7%, neutrophils 5.6-8.9% and monocytes 0.7-2.0%, PLT 14.4-25.4 x 10(3)/mu L and spontaneous oxidative metabolic activity of phagocytes 0.91-1.11 g/L of formazan. The results also revealed different variability of various hematological parameters, some of them being stable (e.g. frequency of lymphocytes), most moderately variable (eg Hb, RBC, MCV, MCH and MCHC), while other - highly variable (eg PLT and frequency of phagocytes).