Issue |
Reprod. Nutr. Dev.
Volume 42, Number 3, May-June 2002
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 243 - 249 | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/rnd:2002022 |
Reprod. Nutr. Dev. 42 (2002) 243-249
DOI: 10.1051/rnd:2002022
Copper deficiency in Creole goat kids
Diana Drakslera, Martha Núñeza, María Cristina Apellaa, b, Graciela Agüeroa, b and Silvia Gonzáleza, ba CONICET-CERELA (Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos), Chacabuco 145, 4000, Tucumán, Argentina
b Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Ayacucho 491, 4000, Tucumán, Argentina
(Received 29 November 2001; accepted 27 May 2002)
Abstract
Serum copper determination is important to confirm hypocupremia. Twenty healthy kids
constituted the Control Group, and sixteen kids with symptoms of copper deficiency,
the Problem Group. Animals from the Problem Group showed a low number of red blood
cells (RBC) and variations in RBC size and shape. The values found for hemoglobin
and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) in the Control Group were
10.42
1.34 g
dL
-1 and 33.07
1.11 g
dL
-1 respectively,
while the levels of the Problem Group were 7.95
1.21 g
dL
-1
and 29.45
0.78 g
dL
-1, respectively. The kids from the Problem
Group presented an important increase in monocytes, neutrophiles and leukocytes;
precursor cells of the neutrophile were also observed. The anemia of these animals
was hypochromic and macrocytic. Our results indicate that Creole kids with serum
copper levels
> 450 mg
L
-1 improved after treatment with copper glycinate.
The six goats with cupremia
< 450 mg
mL
-1 were unable to improve
their deficiency and died.
Key words: copper / deficiency / Creole goat / enzootic ataxia / anemia
Correspondence and reprints: Silvia González
e-mail: sgonzal@cerela.org.ar
© INRA, EDP Sciences 2002