Abstract
This study determined the correlation between serum cortisol levels and rabies antibody titers in cattle primo-vaccinated against rabies and supplemented with dietary selenium (Se). Sixty Nelore male calves (10 to 12 months old) received daily and individual dietary supplementation with 0, 3.6, 5.4 and 6.4 mg Se (groups Gc, G3.6, G5.4 and G6.4, respectively). The animals were vaccinated against rabies (day 0) and subjected to handling stress in the corral for 120 days. Blood sampling procedures were performed on days 0, 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120. Cortisol levels increased until day 90, but had dropped significantly by day 120 (P < 0.01). Rabies antibody titers on days 30 and 90 were similar among Se-supplemented groups; in the control group, rabies antibodies decreased significantly from day 30 to 60, and 90 to 120. Serum cortisol levels and antibody titers were not correlated in most of the groups or blood sampling days. A positive correlation among these variables was found only in G6.4 on days 60 (R = 0.513; P = 0.05) and 120 (R = 0.644; P = 0.009). In conclusion, repeated handling in the corral stresses cattle, but without compromising rabies humoral immune response.
Highlights
Rabies infection, provoked by a virus and transmitted primarily by Desmodus rotundus bats, results in untreatable and fatal encephalitis in mammals [1,2,3]
Selenium from paddock forage did not affect the results, since its value comprised only half of the 0.1 mg/kg concentration recommended by the National Research Council (NRC) to supply beef cattle needs [23]
After a stress peak on day 90, cortisol levels had dropped by day 120 and baseline values (3.68 μg/dL) were reestablished (Figure 1), suggesting that cattle may have adjusted to handling stress [10, 22, 26, 27]
Summary
Rabies infection, provoked by a virus (genus Lyssavirus, family Rhabdoviridae) and transmitted primarily by Desmodus rotundus bats, results in untreatable and fatal encephalitis in mammals [1,2,3]. ABSTRACT: This study determined the correlation between serum cortisol levels and rabies antibody titers in cattle primo-vaccinated against rabies and supplemented with dietary selenium (Se). The animals were vaccinated against rabies (day 0) and subjected to handling stress in the corral for 120 days. Serum cortisol levels and antibody titers were not correlated in most of the groups or blood sampling days.
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