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Relationship of Blood Serum Selenium Levels of Pregnant Cows to Low Dietary Intake, and Effect on Tissue Selenium Levels of their Calves^{1 ,2 ,3,}

Purdue University^,4, West Lafayette, IN 47907

Abstract

Twelve mature pregnant beef cows were utilized to study the effect of supplemental selenium (0, 1, 2 or 5 mg per cow daily starting 90 days prepartum and extending through 6 to 7 months of lactation) on selenium levels in blood serum of cows and their calves and in other calf tissues. Initial means of blood serum selenium levels for cows prior to initiation of the treatments ranged from .021 to .026 meg per milliliter blood serum. Selenium in cow blood serum was not increased significantly by lower levels of dietary selenium (1 or 2 mg/day) in two of three samplings during the treatment, but was elevated (P<.05) over control cows fed no supplemental selenium at mid lactation. At parturition cows fed 5 mg supplemental selenium per head daily had blood serum selenium higher than control (P<.01) and higher (P<.05) than cows on other treatments (P<.05).

Calf serum selenium levels at birth reflected maternal treatments, being higher in calves from cows fed 5 mg/day than in calves from unsupplemented cows (P<.01) or from either 1 or 2 mg level cows (P<.05) and higher (P<.05) in calves from 2 mg level cows than from control cows. Selenium levels in calf blood were not affected significantly by maternal treatments at mid-lactation but were higher (P<.05) in calves from cows fed 5 mg/day at the final sampling.

Calf tissue selenium levels at 6 to 7 months of age slaughter were not influenced significantly by the two lower levels of selenium fed to their dams. Calves from cows fed 5 mg selenium daily had higher liver selenium levels than all other treatments (P<.01), higher muscle selenium than calves from 0 to 1 mg level cows (P<.01) or 2 mg level cows (P<.05) and higher kidney selenium than controls (P<.05).

¹ Journal Paper No. 6743, Purdue University Agricultural Experiment Station.

² Supported in part by CSRS Regional Project No. NC-138.

³ The authors acknowledge the assistance of Mrs. Alice Bales with the chemical analyses.

⁴ Department of Animal Science.

⁵ Superintendent, Lynnwood Purdue Agricultural Center, Carmel, IN.

⁶ Large Animal Clinic, Purdue University.