Effect of higher levels of dietary selenium on production performance and immune responses in growing Japanese quail |
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Authors: | Biswas A Mohan J Sastry K V H |
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Institution: | Division of Physiology and Reproduction, Central Avian Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India. drbiswas007@rediffmail.com |
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Abstract: | 1. The effect of increasing dietary selenium (Se) on production performance and immune responses in growing (0 to 6 weeks) Japanese quail was investigated. 2. One-day-old chicks (240) were randomly selected and divided into 12 groups with 20 chicks in each group (3 dietary treatments x 4 replicates). The basal diet contained 0.2 mg Se/kg and the two experimental diets were supplemented with 0.5 and 1.0 mg Se/kg. 3. Body weight gain, food intake and food conversion ratio and mortality were not affected by Se supplementation. 4. On d 28, antibody responses to inoculated sheep red blood cells were determined. Antibody titres were significantly higher after feeding the two Se-supplemented diets. 5. During week 4, the response to intradermally injected phytohaemagglutinin, an index of the in vivo cell-mediated immune response, was shown to be increased in the groups fed on the Se-supplemented diets. 6. After 6 weeks, the relative weights of the bursa of Fabricius and thymus were greater in the chicks given the Se-supplemented diets but there was no effect on the relative weight of spleen and liver. 7. It is concluded that supplementing the diet with Se has a beneficial effect on immune responses but does not affect production performance in growing Japanese quail. |
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