Effect of chemical industry effluent on macrophage functions of mice

To study the effect of chemical industry effluent on macrophage functions in mice, 128 mice of 2 weeks age were procured and divided in four equal groups. These mice were vaccinated with Ranikhet disease vaccine (R₂B) strain intraperitonealy @ 0.1ml and were treated with chemical industry effluent as drinking water for 4 months. The functional activity of macrophages was assessed by nitroblue tetrazolium reduction assay. The test was conducted at 90 days and 120 days of experiment. The results indicated a significant depression of macrophage functions as evidenced by a reduction in NBT positive cells in chemical industry effluent treated mice at 90 days and 120 days of experiment in comparison to controls. This depression of macrophage activity may result in increased susceptibility of host to various infections.