Showing papers on "White Muscle Disease published in 2012"

Effects of selenium on animal health

Abstract: Selenium is an essential trace element in the diet of humans and domesticated animals. It is a component of more than 30 selenoproteins, which play a significant role in the body. Selenoproteins protect cells from damage inflicted by free radicals, the cause of many chronic diseases. They also participate in the metabolism of thyroid hormones, control reproductive functions and exert neuroprotective effects. In addition to its anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory properties, selenium stimulates the immune system. The role of selenium is aided by vitamin E and sulfur-containing amino acids. Selenium deficiency contributes to pathological changes in farm animals, which incur large financial losses each year. Low selenium levels can lead to the development of nutritional muscular dystrophy, also known as white muscle disease, in lambs, kids, foals, calves and poultry from birth to 3 months of age. Selenium deficiency may also cause exudative diathesis in poultry as well as dietary necrotic liver degeneration and mulberry heart disease in pigs. Parturition problems resulting from reduced tension of the muscular layer of the uterus, postparturient paraplegia, placental retention and purulent inflammations of the uterine lining are also attributed to low selenium levels. Selenium deficiency contributes to the formation of ovarian cysts and increased embryonic mortality in the first 3-4 weeks after insemination. Selenium and vitamin E facilitate neutrophil migration to the mammary gland, and they enhance the bactericidal effects of neutrophils, thus shortening and alleviating the symptoms of clinical mastitis. Selenium poisoning is rarely encountered, and it most often results from an overdose of selenium supplements. The most common forms of selenosis are chronic selenosis, referred to as alkali disease, and acute selenosis, popularly known as blind staggers.

Selenium deficiency associations with gender, breed, serum vitamin E and creatine kinase, clinical signs and diagnoses in horses of different age groups: A retrospective examination 1996–2011

Abstract: Summary Reasons for performing study Selenium and vitamin E deficiency have been associated with nutritional myopathy, more commonly known as white muscle disease (WMD) in horses However, correlations between selenium concentrations and presenting clinical signs, age, breed, gender, serum vitamin E, creatine kinase (CK) and final diagnosis, have not previously been evaluated Objectives To determine the number of hospitalised horses in 3 age groups that were selenium tested and the proportions of horses with categorised presenting clinical signs; the association/odds risk of final diagnosis with selenium deficiency and to examine the association between selenium status, vitamin E status and serum CK in adult horses Methods Two hundred and seventy-one hospitalised horses with a selenium concentration evaluated between 1996 and 2011 were examined retrospectively Records were examined in order to ascertain selenium and vitamin E concentrations, age, breed, gender, CK values, presenting clinical signs and final diagnosis Data were analysed with proportions, Fisher's exact t test, odds ratios and multivariate linear regressions Results Within the <30 day old age group, 13/20 animals had low selenium concentrations There were 18/42 horses in the 30 days to 2 years old age group with low selenium and 77/209 horses more than 2 years of age with low selenium There was an association between low selenium and myopathy in the <30-day-old animals (P = 0017), all of which were classified as having WMD No associations were identified between nutritional myopathy and selenium status in horses between 30 days and 2 years of age or in horses more than 2 years of age Conclusions and potential relevance This study indicates that WMD occurs most commonly in foals <30 days old and is associated with low selenium concentrations (7 out of 8 affected foals had blood Selenium levels <126 μm/l) Low serum selenium concentrations are common in hospitalised adult horses while nutritional myopathy is rare in these animals

Changes of selected biochemical indicators and electrocardiography indicators in nutritional muscular dystrophy in calves

Abstract: The aim of this study was to estimate changes in selected biochemical indicators during nutritional muscular dystrophy of calves and to use electrocardiography technique in early diagnosis of this disease. The study was performed on 24 Holstein-Friesian calves of both sexes, divided into two groups. The first one was experimental group of 12 calves with symptoms of nutritional muscular dystrophy and the second one was control group of 12 clinically healthy calves administered a single i.m. injection of vitamin E + selenium preparation on the second day after birth. Blood samples were collected from all animals 3 × at 7-day intervals, starting on day 5. Blood serum was subjected to biochemical analyses to determine Se and vitamin E concentrations, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase activity levels. The activity of glutathione peroxidase was determined in whole blood samples. Electrocardiographic assessment was performed on day 19 in all calves. In the group of calves with symptoms of nutritional muscular dystrophy, serum Se and vitamin E concentrations were significantly (P ≤ 0.01) lower than in control, the same was true for the activity of glutathione peroxidase (P ≤ 0.01). The changes were accompanied by an increase (P ≤ 0.01) in the activity of aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase. The electrocardiograms of experimental animals revealed elevated heart rate, accelerated sinus rhythm, increased P wave amplitude, shorter PR, QT and ST interval, narrower QRS complex, shorter T wave duration and insignificantly increased T wave amplitude; these results were indicative of arrhythmia which is observed at early stages of cardiomyopathy. This study is the first one in which electrocardiography technique was used to diagnose nutritional muscular dystrophy in calves. Cattle, selenium deficiency, biochemistry, arrhythmia Selenium is a bio-element that plays a very important role in higher organisms. Selenium is nutritionally related to vitamin E and sulphur amino acids. Selenium and vitamin E deficiencies may lead to nutritional muscular dystrophy (NMD), also known as white muscle disease. The disorder affects lambs, foals, goatlings, calves and piglets, and is less frequently observed in mature animals. The disease involves hyaline degeneration of muscle cells in various skeletal muscles, including the diaphragm and the heart. In most calves, the disease appears at the age of 4–6 weeks. There are three main forms of nutritional muscular dystrophy: peracute, acute and subacute. The peracute form of the disease affects mainly the heart muscle of newborn calves. It is accompanied by arrhythmia, increased heart rate, weaker pulse, acute dyspnoea at rest, blue coloring of the mucosa and great breathing difficulty. In its acute form, the disease affects skeletal and intercostal muscles, the diaphragm and the heart. Calves have incorrect posture with widely spread limbs, hunched up back, neck extended forward with limited ability to move. In calves the subacute form of nutritional muscular dystrophy is most frequently encountered. The animals have

Congenital nutritional myodegeneration in a Cypriot mouflon (Ovis orientalis ophion) lamb

Abstract: SUMMARY A five days old Cypriot mouflon (Ovis orientalis ophion) lamb was found dead without premonitory signs in the Platania mouflon enclosure. Necropsy revealed generalized pale discoloration of skeletal muscles and to a lesser extent of the myocardium. Extensive and severe muscular degeneration and necrosis were evidenced by histology. Liver selenium and vitamin E contents were 0.23 mg/kg and 21 mg/kg, respectively. Based on the post mortem findings, the diagnosis of white muscle disease was established and was presumptively attributed to vitamin E deficiency by comparison with usual values obtained in other zoo ruminants. It is the first reported case of white muscle disease in any mouflon species, and particularly in the wild Cypriot mouflon that is endangered and under strict surveillance.