Certain biochemical and behavioral effects of carbaryl were investigated in chicks. Six-day-old birds received 100 mg/kg body weight (bw) per day carbaryl for 7 d. Brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and neuropathy target esterase (NTE) were measured at 24 h after the first, third, and fifth dose during the 1 wk of treatment, and then at d 1, 3, 6, 10, 20, 30, and 40 after the last dose. Gait analysis was evaluated on each posttreatment day. No significant reduction in both NTE and AChE activities was noticed throughout the experiment. However, carbaryl altered the locomotion of the chicks from d 1 until d 40 after last treatment. The stride length of the treated birds was significantly shorter than that of the controls. A significant increase in the stride width and sine of the angle of placement was noticeable throughout the period of the experiment. Thus, treated chicks walked with abnormal gait. Delayed ataxia and paralysis occurred 20 d after the last treatment and lasted until the end of the experiment or eventually death.

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The effects of multiple doses of desbromoleptophos, fenitrothion, and pure fenthion on brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE), brain neurotoxic esterase (NTE), and walking were investigated in immature chicks, below the age of sensitivity to organophosphorus ester-induced delayed neurotoxicity (OPIDN). Ten milligrams per kilogram per day of delayed neurotoxicant desbromoleptophos (DBL), 15 mg/kg.d of the non-neurotoxicant fenitrothion (FTR), and 3 mg/kg.d of the suspected neurotoxicant fenthion (FEN) were given orally for 7 d to 3-d-old chicks. Behavioral testing was performed for treated and control chicks on various days after treatment. Brain NTE and AChE assays were carried out for treated and control chicks on each day of behavioral testing. DBL altered gait and inhibited both NTE and AChE; FEN altered gait and inhibited AChE but not NTE; and FTR did not affect gait, while inhibiting AChE but not NTE. NTE and AChE inhibition were 70% and 55%, respectively, 24 h after the last treatment, for the chicks treated with DBL. NTE returned to normal levels by around d 25 and AChE by 20 d after the last treatment. FTR caused more than 50% AChE inhibition but no NTE inhibition, 24 h after last treatment. NTE inhibition for the FEN-treated chicks never exceeded 11% during the whole period of the experiment, whereas 54% inhibition of AChE was seen 1 d after last treatment. DBL and FEN significantly altered the gait of treated chicks, but the non-OPIDN-inducing FTR did not. This study confirms that alterations in the gait of young chicks are not direct consequences of either NTE or AChE inhibition, and that fenthion-induced functional deficits can be distinguished from classical OPIDN.

Recent evidence has shown that exposure to pesticides can lead to long-term neurophysiological and functional deficits. We have demonstrated previously that locomotion in chicks exposed to some organophosphates and carbamates could be altered persistently without concomitant central or peripheral esterase inhibition. Furthermore, histopathology of the ataxic chickens showed no lesions in either the central or peripheral systems. In this study, we examined whether locomotion alterations seen in chicks exposed in ovo to carbaryl and aldicarb are accompanied by perturbations in particular central neurotransmitter systems. Carbaryl and aldicarb were injected in ovo on day 15 of incubation at 6, 16 and 65 mg kg-1 egg weight and at 0.2, 0.4 and 35 mg kg-1 egg weight, respectively. Neurotransmitter levels (assayed by high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection) and locomotion were measured at various times (1-43 days) after dosing. At the lower doses of both carbaryl and aldicarb, a trend towards prolonged decreases in cerebral dopamine and homovanillic acid was seen. The high dose of carbaryl significantly reduced dopamine and the high dose of both compounds significantly decreased homovanillic acid and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid. Persistent locomotion alterations were observed only at the higher doses of both carbaryl and aldicarb when the specific neurotransmitters measured returned to normal levels.