The freshwater protozoan ciliate Paramecium sp. was used in order to assess the potential cytotoxic effects of Thiram, a dithiocarbamates fungicide. To estimate the impact of this fungicide, cells were exposed to three concentrations (0.001, 0.002 and 0.003 mg/l) for 4 days. The respiratory metabolism and the antioxidant defence biomarkers (Catalase and reduced Glutathione) were assessed. Acute exposure caused marked decrease in number of cells with EC50 value estimated at 0.0028 mg/l. The obtained results concerning the cellular respiratory reveal a dose-dependent perturbation in exposed organisms. Also, the biomarkers assessed were sensitive to the presence of Thiram wich induced a strong antioxidative activities by stimulating the enzymatic activity of Catalase (CAT) and decreasing the rate of reduced Glutathione (GSH).

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