The pesticide malathion reduces survival and growth in developing zebrafish

Malathion is an organophosphorous pesticide widely used to control mosquitoes in urban areas and pests, such as boll weevils, in agricultural areas. Zebrafish, Danio rerio, are model organisms for developmental toxicology research because they are readily available, produce large numbers of clear embryos, and are sensitive to environmental changes. The nonlethal effects of malathion on developing zebrafish embryos, however, previously have not been analyzed quantitatively. We exposed zebrafish embryos to sublethal malathion concentrations to determine malathion's effects on a developing vertebrate. Zebrafish exposed to 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 mg/L of malathion consistently elicited more rapid hatching from the chorion than zebrafish exposed to 2.0-, 2.5-, or 3.0-mg/L malathion concentrations. In addition, exposure to 2.0, 2.5, or 3.0 mg/L of malathion resulted in significantly shorter body length and eye diameters, indicating that malathion had teratogenic effects on zebrafish embryos. Malathion's action as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and the toxicity of the metabolites of malathion may be responsible for malathion's teratogenic effects on fish development.