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Heavy Metals in the Blood Serum and Feces of Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, Iran

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Abstract

This study was conducted to measure concentrations of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), and iron (Fe) in blood serum and feces of mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) and in water and sediment of their habitat (Negour site, Chabahar County in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, Iran). Heavy metal contents in crocodile serum and feces, water, and sediments were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP–OES spectrometer—Spectro Genesis). The highest levels of heavy metals in the mugger crocodile’s serum were Fe > Hg > Pb > Cr > Cu > Cd > As, respectively. The total metal concentrations in the feces exhibited the following decreasing order from Fe > As > Pb = Cr > Hg > Cd > Cu. The highest average levels of heavy metals in water were Hg > Fe > As > Pb > Cu > Cr > Cd respectively and As > Fe > Pb > Cu > Hg > Cd > Cr in the sediment of lagoons. A significant difference was observed in the concentration of Fe and Pb between male and female crocodiles. Moreover, correlation analysis indicated significant negative correlations between sex and bioconcentrations of Cd, Fe, Pb, As, and Hg in the serum. In conclusion, this study showed that the environmental conditions of Negour lagoons are not suitable for crocodiles regarding habitat health and water quality. Furthermore, since these lagoons and fish are the most important sources of drinking water and seafood for the residents of the area, contamination of these pools with heavy metals can also threaten people’s health.

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Availability of Data and Materials

Data supporting the findings of this study are available from Shiraz University but restrictions may apply and require approval.

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Funding

This study was supported by the Aquatic Animal Health and Diseases Department, School of Veterinary Medicine, Shiraz University, through a research grant to the first author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Aquatic Animal Health & Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

    Amin Gholamhosseini & Siyavash Soltanian

  2. Aquaculture Department, Faculty of Natural Resources and the Environment, Behbahan Khatam Alanbia University of Technology, Behbahan, Khuzestan Province, Iran

    Mahdi Banaee

  3. School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Fahimeh Sakhaie

Authors
  1. Amin Gholamhosseini
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  2. Mahdi Banaee
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  3. Siyavash Soltanian
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  4. Fahimeh Sakhaie
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Contributions

Amin Gholamhosseini: investigation, project administration, validation, formal analysis.

Mahdi Banaee: investigation, project administration, validation, formal analysis, writing the original draft.

Siyavash Soltanian: cooperation in project implementation.

Fahimeh Sakhaie: writing the original draft, review and editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mahdi Banaee.

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Ethics Approval

International, national, and institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. Experimental protocols were done following the Iranian Animal Ethics Framework under the supervision of the Iranian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Shiraz University (IACUC no. 4687/63–1400346693).

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In this study, none of the authors used human beings as research subjects.

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In the present study, there is no personal data in any form (including any individual details, images, or videos).

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Gholamhosseini, A., Banaee, M., Soltanian, S. et al. Heavy Metals in the Blood Serum and Feces of Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, Iran. Biol Trace Elem Res 200, 3336–3345 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-021-02916-7

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