The effect of breed of sire on the accumulation of copper in lambs, with particular reference to copper toxicity

Abstract

ABSTRACTLambs, 9 weeks of age, the offspring of sires of the Scottish Blackface, East Friesland, Finnish Landrace, Suffolk and Texel breeds mated to Scottish Blackface females, as a common maternal breed, were given diets containing 12 or 20 mg copper per kg dry matter for 13 weeks. Concentrations of liver copper and of copper and aspartate amino-transferase in the plasma were measured regularly, and the concentrations of copper in the kidney, mandible and cheek muscle were also measured terminally. Livers were examined for histological symptoms of copper toxicity.Wide breed variation was apparent in liver copper concentration after 6 weeks and in plasma aspartate aminotransferase concentration after 9 weeks. At slaughter, total liver copper and kidney copper concentration showed significant breed variation. For all traits, the Texel-cross lambs had the highest concentrations, followed by the Suffolk crosses, and the Blackface had the lowest. The proportion of ingested copper retained in the liver of the Texel-cross lambs was twice that of the Blackface lambs (0·137 v. 0·056), with the other breed crosses intermediate.There was a significant difference between diets for liver, kidney and mandible copper concentrations, plasma aspartate amino-transferase concentration, and for total liver copper but not for cheek muscle. Both diets produced elevated plasma aspartate amino-transferase concentration and histological symptoms of copper toxicity in the livers of some lambs.The results show large breed differences in the susceptibility to copper poisoning, some breeds being at risk when given diets containing 12mg copper per kg dry matter for long periods. There was no suggestion that breeds differed in resistance to poisoning other than through different retentions of copper consumed