Phagocytic activity of blood leukocytes and level of serum immunoglobulins and albumin after parenteral administration of zinc during vaccination against trichophytosis in calves

The study dealt with the evaluation of the contents of the total serum immunoglobulins (CS-Ig), serum albumin, and with the phagocytic activity of blood leucocytes in trichophytosis-affected calves (aged 4 months), in dependence on the doses (revaccination) of the live avirulent vaccine against trichophytosis (the calf group R) and its administration with a zinc based-injection preparation (calf group ZnR). In calf group ZnR (5 mg Zn.kg-1 l. w.) there was a potentiating effect on the percentual proportion of potential blood phagocytes (compared with data before administration: P less than 0.01 on the first day, P less than 0.05 on the third, eighth and thirtieth day; in comparison with the group of calves R: P less than 0.01 during a 24h experiment) and on the percentage of phagocytic cells (compared with data before administration: P less than 0.05 the first and 30th day; compared with calf group R: P less than 0.05 in a 24h experiment. No effect on the index of phagocytic activity was observed. In both groups positive statistical significance was stated in the level of CS-Ig, as compared with the value before administration (on the 8th, 15th, 30th and 60th day of investigation, P less than 0.05, resp. 0.01), but there was no significance when the groups were compared with each other. Significant increase was stated in serum immunoglobulin concentration on the 15th day of examination within each group of calves. Its concentration in calf group ZnR was lower at the beginning of the experiment and at the end of the experiment it was almost exactly the same as in calf group R.