CYTOGENETIC EFFECTS OF ORGANOPHOSPHATE PESTICIDES ON GOAT LYMPHOCYTES IN CULTURE

Cytogenetic effects of malathion and parathion, the organophosphorus pesticides were studied on goat lymphocytes in culture. The mitotic indices (% of blast cells + cells at metaphase) of goat lymphocytes showed corresponding decrease with the increase in dose of pesticides. Malathion had significant effect only at $150{\mu}g/ml$ or higher dosages while, parathion caused antimitotic effects even at the lowest dose ($5{\mu}g/ml$) tested. The clastogenic effects of malathion were significant ($p{\leq}0.05$) at $100{\mu}g/ml$. In higher doses, the effects were highly significant ($p{\leq}0.01$). The frequency of metaphase plates with chromosomal abnormalities were highest (22.0%) at $200{\mu}g/ml$. The incidences of chromosomal abnormalities were significant ($p{\leq}0.05$) in parathion treated series even at $5{\mu}g/ml$ dose level. At $10{\mu}g/ml$ or higher dose levels the difference between treatment groups and controls were more pronounced ($p{\leq}0.01$). Various types of chromosomal abnormalities were encountered in goat lymphocytes treated by malathion and parathion. However, the incidence of gaps, breaks, acentric fragments, dicentric chromosomes were higher than other types of structural and numerical abnormalities.