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Relation of Selenium, Vitamin E and an Unidentified Factor to Muscular Dystrophy (Stiff-Lamb or White-Muscle Disease) in the Lamb¹

Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

Abstract

Five years' research on the dietary causes of muscular dystrophy in the lamb are included. Selenium and vitamin E were equally effective in preventing the natural occurring syndrome, although neither has given complete protection when fed to the ewe during later gestation and early lactation but both have been completely effective when given directly to the lamb. A combination of vitamin E and selenium given to the ewes did result in complete protection for the lambs. Apparently the maternal transfer of either selenium or vitamin E was inadequate at the levels fed (1.0 ppm and 100 I.U./day, respectively). Cooking of the basal ration fed the ewes also completely prevented the condition in the lambs indicating a heat labile antagonist may be present in the basal feeds. This is further substantiated by evidence presented on the prevention of exudative diathesis in the chick and by the relatively high levels of oral selenium apparently required by the ewes to protect the lambs from muscular dystrophy. The addition of an anti-oxidant to the ewes' diet did not reduce the incidence of dystrophy in the lambs. Linseed oil meal was partially effective as a preventive which is explained by its relatively high selenium content. Data on the selenium content of the feeds used and plasma tocopherol data on the ewes and lambs are also presented.

¹ Department of Animal Husbandry.

² Present address—National Dairy Products Corporation, Research and Development Division, Glenview, Illinois.

³ The authors gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of the Departments of Poultry Husbandry and Veterinary Pathology in these studies.

⁴ The authors acknowledge the gratuity of Distillation Products Industries, Rochester, New York and Hoffman-LaRoche, Inc., Nutley, New Jersey, who supplied the vitamin E for these studies.