Haematological changes induced by dimethoate in rat.

Chronic effects of a sublethal dose (150 mg/kg body weight) of dimethoate, an organophosphorus insecticide, on blood constituents were investigated in rats after exposure of 15 and 30 days. A significant decrease was observed in haemoglobin concentration, total RBC and WBC counts and in haematocrit values. After 30 days of exposure, the levels of blood glucose, cholesterol, urea, total bilirubin and the activities of glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase, glutamic- pyruvic transaminase and amylase markedly increased, but the activities of acid phosphatase and cholinesterase significantly decreased. There was no effect on total plasma protein content. The rats exposed to dimethoate for 30 days showed more prominent changes in all the blood constituents than those exposed for 15 days.