Selenium and vitamin E deficiency in pigs. II. Influence on plasma selenium, vitamin E, ASAT and ALAT and on tissue selenium.

The effect of dietary selenium (Se) and vitamin E (Vit. E) in pigs on Se and Vit. E in plasma and on Se in tissue from liver, heart, m. long, dorsi and m. psoas major was studied; and furthermore was the influence on the enzymes ASAT and ALAT studied.Two levels of Se were used, 0.03 and 0.06 mg Se per kg feed. Within each Se level 2 levels of Vit. E were used, 15 and 45 i. u. per kg feed. This resulted in 4 groups: 1. low Se and low Vit. E; 2. low Se and high Vit. E; 3. high Se and low Vit. E; 4. high Se and high Vit. E.Ten% of all pigs fed low Se, and 4% of the pigs fed low Se and high Vit. E diet died with severe symptoms of Se deficiency. None of the pigs fed the high Se diet died with such symptoms. Plasma Se determinations have been shown to indicate the Se status in pigs almost as accurately as liver Se determination. ASAT and ALAT enzyme determinations were not of any diagnostic value.There was a good agreement between dietary Vit. E level and the corresponding levels in plasma. Oxidized herring oil seems to enhance the Vit. E need.     

Effect of Dietary Fat Quality and Vitamin E on the Antioxidant Potential of Pigs

A randomized blocked factorial experiment was conducted with 90 young pigs. From 4 to 11 weeks of age the pigs were kept in individual pens and fed a selenium supplemented basal diet consisting mostly of propionic acid treated barley, soybean meal and dried skim milk, and containing < 0.5 mg vitamin E per kg. The treatment factors during this period were 3 dietary levels of added vitamin E (nil, 10 and 30 mg/kg) and a 6 % supplement of fresh or oxidized fat (2/3 lard and 1/3 herring oil). From 11 weeks of age until slaughter at 90 kg the pigs received the vitamin E supplements but no fat or dried skim milk. The basal diet for this later experimental period was based on untreated dry barley. Blood samples collected during the period of investigation were examined for vitamin E and for resistance against erythrocyte lipid peroxidation (ELP) in order to evaluate the antioxidant status.Analysis of variance and Student’s t-test on least squares means showed the ELP to be influenced independently by the vitamin E supplement and, during the fat feeding period, by the quality of the fat supplement, with the highest peroxidation resistance (low ELP) in the groups fed fresh fat and a high level of vitamin E. Blood vitamin E level was only influenced — positively — by the vitamin E supplement although variations in the feed vitamin E level below 10–15 mg vitamin E per kg did not result in corresponding variations in measurable blood vitamin E concentrations. In the same low range of vitamin E in the feed there was a statistically significant difference in ELP values between the different vitamin E treatment groups. No clinical manifestations of selenium-vitamin E deficiency were observed in the pigs.The ELP and the plasma vitamin E levels observed would seem to suggest that a total of 15 mg vitamin E per kg barley-based feed will not always be sufficient for growing pigs.     

Experimental Edema Disease of Swine (E. Coli ENTEROTOXEMIA) III. Pathology and Pathogenesis

Experimental colibacillary (Escherichia coli) enterotoxemia as described in this report mimics natural edema disease both clinically and in gross pathology. The histopathology is characterized by accumulations of non-inflammatory edema and by arteriopathy. The smaller arterial and arteriolar changes recorded here are similar to those described in natural edema disease. The vascular changes described in recovered cases of experimental colibacillary enterotoxemia concur with those reported in so-called subacute and chronic edema disease. The arteriolar changes that occur in colibacillary enterotoxemia of swine are comparable to those associated with hypertension.

Thin sections of cerebral cortex from four pigs with acute experimental edema disease were examined by electron microscopy in an attempt to demonstrate brain edema. Sections from one pig taken during the convulsive phase of disease revealed dilatation of perivascular glial processes. However, examination of sections taken from three other pigs during an earlier phase of the neurological disturbance revealed no significant lesions. We were unable to ascertain the role of brain edema in the pathogenesis of the nervous system disturbance in these experiments.

     

Epidemiological studies of piglet diarrhoea in intensively managed Danish sow herds. IV. Pathogenicity of porcine rotavirus

Colostrum-deprived piglets inoculated with rotavirus 24 h after birth developed a profuse diarrhoea that spread to non-inoculated, colostrum-deprived litter mates and, occassionally, to colostrum-fed piglets. Case fatality rates in these 3 categories of piglets were 63.2%, 35.7% and 8.3%, respectively. Surviving piglets recovered in 1-2 weeks, but shedded virus via the faeces for up to 3 weeks p.i. The D-xylose test revealed severe malabsorption, with extremely flat absorption curves for up to 3-4 weeks p.i. Malabsorption was more marked in piglets with a long-lasting faecal virus excretion than in piglets where virus disappeared from the faeces within 10 days p.i. Infected piglets (colostrum-fed and colostrum-deprived) had decreased weight gains and were 5 days older at a bodyweight of 25 kg than non-inoculated controls. It is concluded that rotavirus is probably of significance in diarrhoeal syndromes in suckling piglets, alone or in combination with E. coli or other pathogens.     

Antibody isotype response in adult cattle vaccinated with Brucella abortus S19

In a chronological study of sera collected from eight adult cattle vaccinated with 3 X 10(-10) cfu of Brucella abortus S19, antibody of each of the four major isotypes was measured by indirect enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) and by direct and modified complement fixation tests (CFT). Six of the cattle gave antibody responses to the vaccine strain that commenced between days 5 and 8 for all the isotypes in the ELISA, peaked by 1 to 4 months and then declined to low levels by 10 months. Direct CFT and modified CFT titers were measurable by 7 or 8 days post-vaccination, and peaked by 1 month; direct CFT titers disappeared by 5 months while the modified CFT titers lingered for 10 months. Two animals gave cyclical direct CFT and modified CFT antibody responses, a cyclical IgG1 response, a low IgG2 and an elevated IgA response. The amplitude of the cycles was uniform over three cycles while the wavelength increased with time. A year post-vaccination, B. abortus S19 was isolated twice from milk from one of the animals (no attempt was made to culture B. abortus from the other). Sera from B. abortus naturally infected cattle were analysed for comparison.     

An evaluation of bias in estimated breeding values for weaning weight in Angus beef cattle field records. II. Estimates of bias due to genetic trend

Field records (53,989) from the American Angus Association were used to evaluate the impact of bias associated with genetic trend in estimated breeding values for weaning weight. Annual estimates of breeding values were calculated using the reported weaning weight ratios and ratios adjusted for estimated genetic trend. Genetic gains were assumed to be consistently linear. Bias was estimated as the difference between the two estimates, and herd averages across years for dam's bias ranged from .38 to 3.86 ratio units. The bias was a function of the magnitude of the estimated trend and the generation interval. The impact of this bias was small in young cows, but increased rapidly after diet fourth or fifth calves. When annual genetic trend was less than .75 ratio units, the loss in selection response (based upon selecting the top 10 and 50% of males and females, respectively) did not exceed 2.5%. In herds with trends between .75 and 1.1 units/yr, the loss was 6 to 8%. In the five herds where estimated trend exceeded 1.1 units/yr, the loss ranged from 10.8 to 25.2%).     

Agglutination of Brucella abortus cells by sera from cattle experimentally infected with Escherichia coli

Infection of normal adult cattle and sporadic serological Brucella abortus reactors, which no longer had diagnostic titers to B. abortus, with a culture of Escherichia coli isolated from a cow (or its environment) resulted in the production of a primary IgM serum antibody response to both B. abortus and E. coli. Cattle injected with heat killed E. coli and guinea pigs or young calves lacking natural agglutinins to B. abortus injected with live E. coli, produced serum antibody only to E. coli. The subsequent reinjections of live E. coli into the former two groups of cattle resulted in all but one animal in each group producing IgM ‘secondary’ responses to B. abortus of decreasing magnitude, while the anti-E. coli responses increased and eventually switched to synthesis of IgG class antibody. The remaining two animals produced a series of ‘secondary’ responses of IgM antibody to B. abortus similar in amplitude and duration to the primary immune response. The anti-E. coli agglutinins of these two animals increased in titer and IgG class antibody to E. coli was evident after several injections of E. coli. These results indicate that infection of cattle by E. coli can cause a problem in the serological fiagnosis of B. abortus infection. Speculations on the cause of this cross-reaction and ways of minimizing misdiagnosis are discussed.