Safety and effectiveness of cupric oxide particles for increasing liver copper stores in cattle

Five groups of three or four crossbred steers, mean initial liveweight 220 kg, were given a diet of barley and hay ad libitum. Each animal received a single oral dose of 0, 5, 10, 20 or 40 g cupric oxide particles. A dose of 5 g cupric oxide particles increased liver copper stores for about 240 days and higher doses increased liver stores for longer but 40 g was no more effective than 20 g (85 mg kg-1 liveweight). Variation among individuals was marked but the highest liver copper concentration recorded (7.59 mmol kg-1 dry matter) produced no biochemical evidence of copper toxicity. Earlier, cupric oxide particles were separated into three fractions, clumps, short rods and long rods and 5 mg kg-1 liveweight of each fraction given to steers of 173 kg mean liveweight. The form of the particles did not affect either their retention in the alimentary tract or the accumulation of copper in the liver.     

Effects of dietary molybdenum on nematode and host during Trichostrongylus vitrinus infection in lambs.

The addition of molybdenum (0.05 mmol kg-1 dry matter) to the diet of lambs exposed for four weeks to a trickle (2500 third stage larvae per day) infection with Trichostrongylus vitrinus reduced the number and length of adult worms retrieved from the small intestine 11 days later: both effects were particularly marked in female worms from female lambs (P less than 0.01). Worms from lambs given molybdenum contained less proteinase enzyme activity and secreted less proteinases in culture irrespective of the sex of the host. Pathogenicity was not attenuated by molybdenum. Damage to the intestinal mucosa was severe in both dietary groups but infected females given molybdenum developed lower plasma albumin concentrations and lighter dressed carcases than those not given molybdenum. Neither the effects on the parasite nor those on the host could be attributed simply to molybdenum-induced copper depletion, using conventional measures of copper status. Molybdenum may be toxic to T vitrinus but may also facilitate or enhance the inflammatory process limiting larval establishment or increasing parasite rejection.     

Residual effects of Mycobacterium avium infection on susceptibility of sheep to copper toxicity and efficacy of treatment with tetrathiomolybdate

Posthaemolytic copper poisoning (post-HCP) in one of six, one-year-old, uninfected sheep (group O) on a Mycobacterium avium experiment prompted an evaluation of copper status and hepatotoxicity in 17 surviving cohorts. Group O had higher mean plasma Cu and δ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) activity and more variable bile acid (BA) concentrations and glutamate dehydrogenase activities (GDH) than two groups infected with M avium soon after birth. Ammonium tetrathiomolybdate (TTM; 3 x 1.7 mg/kg LW) was given subcutaneously over seven days and the pelleted, complete diet replaced by hay, low in copper. Plasma BA immediately declined and was followed by GDH, but erythrocyte superoxide dismutase activity (ESOD) became severely inhibited and took 18 days to recover. Plasma BA and GDH rose sharply after 18 days in uninfected sheep and they became hypercupraemic. TTM treatment was repeated from day 42 and had removed all group differences by day 110 but only after further inhibition of ESOD. M avium infections probably lessened the severity of pre-HCP by reducing copper retention but may predispose grazing livestock to hypocupraemia. The capacity of TTM to reduce liver Cu has probably been overestimated and side effects on cuproenzyme activity underestimated.     

The Effects of Breed,Neonatal Age and Pregnancy on the Plasma Copper Status of Goats in Oman

There is a history of copper deficiency in grazing Omani livestock and the copper status of three economically important goat breeds, Jabal Akhdar (JA), Batina (B) and Dhofari (D) were therefore compared in October/November (cool season) and June (dry season) in a penned flock given a plentiful dietary supply of copper. In the cool season, 62 lactating does (5 JA, 12 B and 33 D), their 0–5-day-old kids (17 JA, 19 B and 22 D) and 25 dry does (17 JA, 5 B and 3 D) were blood sampled. In the dry season, the does sampled were either barren (15 JA, 16 B and 13 D) or pregnant (9 JA, 13 B and 33 D). The samples were analysed for total copper (TCu) and trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-soluble copper (TCA-sol Cu). There were no effects of breed on TCu or TCA-sol Cu in the cool season, the overall means being 0.75 (SE 0.049) and 0.59 (SE 0.052) mg/L. The mean TCu was low in kids at birth (0.59 mg/L) but had increased to 0.86 mg/L by 4 days of age (p<0.001); breed differences were found (p<0.002), the pooled values for JA, B and D being 0.77, 0.59 and 0.68 (SE 0.033–0.044) mg/L, respectively. By the dry season, the mean TCu had risen in barren does to 0.96 (0.045) mg/L but not in pregnant does (0.76 (0.047) mg/L; p<0.002) and breed differences had emerged, the mean for D being 20% lower than those for JA and B (p<0.05). The highest TCu values were found in the 7-month-old kids in June (1.17 (0.039) mg/L) but the breeds did not then differ. Some effects on TCA solubility were found but were considered unreliable. Breed effects may have been diminished by the generous supply of copper and early stage of lactation studied.     

The effect of dietary molybdenum on hypocupraemic ewes treated by subcutaneous copper

An attempt has been made to assess the importance of systemic sites of interaction from the effect of dietary molybdenum (Mo) on the protection afforded by a single sc injection of copper (Cu) to 29 initially hypocupraemic 5-year-old ewes, maintained on a low Cu diet. They were fed a diet of 1 kg/day containing 1.3 mg of Cu/kg supplemented with sodium sulphate which provided 1.7 gm of sodium per kg. Group A was given no further supplement. Group B was given added Mo, 25 mg/kg. Group C was given added Cu, 10 mg/kg. After 7 months, several animals in each group were injected sc with a single dose of 46.5 mg of Cu in the form of copper calcium edetate (Coprin). Blood samples were taken at intervals from the injected ewes over a 250-day period. All ewes were mated after 12 months on the diet. Injected ewes were approaching the 4th month of gestation when the last blood sample was taken at 250 days. Total Cu in plasma was determined by atomic absorption spectometry. Direct reacting Cu in plasma, cerulosplasmin oxidase activity, and hemoglobin were also estimated. Plasma Cu concentrations had increased to normal levels in 14 days in Group A after the Cu injections. Group B animals showed a greater increase, mean values exceeding those of Groups A and C, between Days 28-129 (p less than .01). Plasma Cu levels declined in ewes not given supplementary Cu after the 177th day. The final values for Groups A and B were similar to those found before injection. The direct reacting Cu in each group was increased after 7 days (p less than .05). This effect was most marked in the Mo supplemented ewes (Group B). The effect of Mo persisted until the final bleeding. Direct reacting Cu was only a minor part of the early response in total plasma copper of Group B ewes. Dietary Mo did not inhibit the incorporation of injected Cu into ceruloplasmin. The Mo-supplemented ewes were in poorer condition than copper-supplemented ewes. All groups gained in weight after the injections. The sc injection of Cu at 5 months prior to mating imporved fertility in Groups A and B. There was no evidence that dietary Mo impa ired the metabolism of parenteral Cu. However, it is known to deplete r uminants of Cu when the diet provides the only source of Cu. It is ther efore thought that the site of the Cu with Mo interaction is in the gut. If infertility due to Cu deficiency is suspected in a flock, an injection of Cu immediately prior to mating may improve conception rate and provide sufficient Cu to reduce the incidence of swayback.     

Responsiveness of prehaemolytic copper poisoning in sheep from a specific pathogen-free environment to a relatively high dose of tetrathiomolybdate

Efficacy of ammonium tetrathiomolybdate (3.4 mg/kg LW, TTM(3.4)) was monitored in nine, specific pathogen-free sheep with mild-to-severe, prehaemolytic copper poisoning (pre-HCP). Five sheep were given three subcutaneous injections over seven days and four began a shorter, five-day course four days later. Plasma bile acid (BA) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) had fallen significantly after six days but BA briefly rose again between days 10 to 18. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), δ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) were later to decline but presented little evidence of hepatotoxicity by day 45. Erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (ESOD) was rapidly inhibited, activities falling by 65 per cent within three days and taking 25 days to recover. Trichloroacetic (TCA)-insoluble copper increased by 6 to 8 μmol/l after three days but had largely disappeared by day 18. Six lambs had become hypercupraemic by day 18 due to a rise in TCA-soluble Cu. ESOD activity fell again by 188±29.5 U/gHb between days 25 and 45 but had largely recovered by day 62. TTM(3.4) gave better control of hepatotoxicity than TTM(1.7) had done in more severely affects cohorts but at the expense of greater inhibition of ESOD. Treatment of pre-HCuP should rely more on reducing copper absorption until more is known of the side effects of TTM on cuproenzymes.     

Relationships between the concentrations of trichloroacetic acid-soluble copper and caeruloplasmin in the serum of cattle from areas with different soil concentrations of molybdenum

The concentrations of trichloroacetic acid (tca)-soluble copper and caeruloplasmin were determined in 345 serum samples taken from cattle in March 1998 by eight Scottish Agricultural College veterinary disease surveillance centres serving areas with soils ranging from being 'high' in molybdenum (Thurso) to 'low' (Perth and St Boswells). The mean concentrations varied significantly between the centres, with Thurso having the lowest values for both variables. There were strong linear regressions (r>0.8) between caeruloplasmin and tca-soluble copper for each centre but no significant differences in slope or intercept between the areas with the highest and lowest soil molybdenum, and the pooled regression accounted for 88 per cent of the variation. The distribution of the ratios of caeruloplasmin to tca-soluble copper, unlike those of the individual variables, was not normal, and 70 per cent of the values fell within 10 per cent of the mean ratio of 20.3 mg/micromol and close to the 22 mg/micromol copper expected in pure caeruloplasmin. Low ratios were generally associated with low tca-soluble copper. Ratios above 24 were found in 8 per cent of the samples and were probably attributable to acute-phase reactions and the non-specificity of the assay for caeruloplasmin.