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¹ Fish and Wildlife Unit, Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, University Of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria Viewed : 4663 - Downloaded : 6243 Changes in Clarias gariepinus’ blood cells were investigated after 96-h of exposure to lead. Ninety (90) Clarias gariepinus with average weight of 262.2g and average length of 30.8 were divided into 5 groups (A-E) at six (6) fish per group and in triplicates after being acclimatized for 14 days. They were then exposed to various concentrations (0, 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg/l) of lead nitrate. The packed cell volume (PCV) of the treatments decreased significantly relative to that of the control, while their platelet counts increased compared with the control. There was also a reduction in the RBC of treatments. Other blood parameters did not vary significantly in comparison to the control group, but it is worth noting that the mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) increased considerably in all treatments compared to the control. These alterations have been attributed to direct or feedback responses of structural damage to RBC membranes resulting in haemolysis and impairment in haemoglobin synthesis, stress related release of RBCs from the spleen and hypoxia, which was induced by exposure to lead. This study therefore gives an insight into toxic effect of lead on fish. Keywords : Blood indices, African catfish, lead, acute toxicity