Nutritional deficiency disease in an Indian major carp, Cirrhina mrigala Hamilton, due to avitaminosis C during early growth

Abstract. Experiments with a purified vitamin test diet on newly hatched Cirrhina mrigala Hamilton, a major carp of great piscicultural importance, are reported. Experimentally induced vitamin C deficiency for 330 days was followed by recovery treatment for 30 days. Retarded growth and greater mortality accompanied by structural deformities such as lordosis and scoliosis, increasing with prolonged deficiency, were recorded. Haematological and haematopoietic studies revealed hypochromic macrocytic anaemia accompanied by anisocytosis. Correlated studies on erythropoiesis revealed increased reticulocytes and an overall decrease in small lymphoid haemoblasts. Total and differential leucocyte counts revealed leucopenia and thrombopenia accompanied by an increase in neutrophils and eosinophils. Recovery treatment halted and in some cases even compensated these pathophysio-logical changes to some extent.