Haematological and haematopoietic studies in pyridoxine deficient fish, Channa punctatus Bloch

Pyridoxine deficiency was induced in a population of Channa punctatus. The deficiency effects were increased by adding 4‐deoxypyridoxine as an antagonist. Haematological and haematopoietic changes were studied. The significant changes in peripheral blood appeared after 150 days in the antagonist treated group and 180 days in the group on the deficient diet. After 240 days when morphological changes and an increased mortality also appeared, the changes in RBC and related values (haemoglobin, haematocrit, MCV, MCH & MCHC) were highly significant and indicated hypochromic microcytic anaemia; this was accompanied by leukopenia. The haematopoietic studies revealed significant increase in the earlier stages of erythrocytic development (basophilic erythroblasts and polychromatophilic eryth‐roblasts) with a simultaneous decrease in the later stages (young and mature reticulocytes). A series of pathological disorders in the various developing cells were recorded in the imprints of haematopoietic tissues. The pyridoxine specificity of these changes were confirmed by remedial treatment for a month.