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Effects of Feeding Supplemental Organic or Inorganic Selenium to Cow-Calf Pairs on Selenium Status and Immune Responses of Weaned Beef Calves1

P. Beck,T. Wistuba,T. Wistuba,M. Davis,S. Gunter

Published 2005 in The Professional Animal Scientist

ABSTRACT

In current marketing channels, calves are purchased with little indication of nutritional status on which a fully functional immune system is dependant. Adequate immune function in recently weaned calves is required for development of disease resistance. At weaning, 18 spring-born steer calves (BW = 200 ± 5.2 kg) were randomly selected from six groups of 20 cows to test the effects ofSe supplementation and source of Se fed pre-weaning on Se status and immune function of calves after weaning. Mineral supplements supplying no Se, 26 ppm of Se from sodium selenite, or 26 ppm of Se from Se-yeast were fed in a free-choice mineral supplement. After weaning, calves were fed bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon [L.] Pers.) hay and 1.40 kg of supplement daily. Selenium status and immune characteristics of calves 22 d after weaning were tested by analysis of whole blood Se, glutathione peroxidase (GTH-Px) activity, lymphocyte proliferation, macrophage phagocytosis, and interferon-γ (IFN) production. In vivo cell-mediated immunity was tested by skin-swelling response to an intradermal phytohemagglutinin (PHA) injection. Whole blood Se concentrations and GTH-Px activities (54.7 ppm and 40.2 Eu/gHb, respectively) suggested Se deficiency of control calves. Supplementation with Se increased (P<0.01) whole blood Se concentration and GTH-Px. Seleniumyeast increased (P<0.01) whole blood Se concentration and macrophage phagocytosis compared with sodium selenite. In vivo cell-mediated immune response tended (P=0.12) to increase with Se supplementation. Supplementation of cow herds with Se before weaning increases Se status of weaned calves in areas where Se deficiency may be a problem.

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