Low Copper Status Research Articles

Studies on lambs from lines genetically selected for low and high copper status 2. Incidence of hypocuprosis on improved hill pasture

ABSTRACTGrowth rate and the concentrations of various biochemical constituents were measured in 2 years in lambs from two lines, selected on low (L) and high (H) copper (Cu) concentrations in plasma, and from two unselected pure breeds, Scottish Blackface (B) and Welsh Mountain (W). The lambs grazed improved hill pastures and half were given Cu supplements.H lambs were always heavier and were fattened for slaughter earlier than were L lambs, differences that were not completely eliminated when supplementary Cu was given. In both years, the improvements in growth rate due to supplementary Cu varied with genetic type (average L 20·5 (s.e. 2·5); H 5·7 (s.e. 2·6); B 25·1 (s.e. 3·7); W 8·1 (s.e. 3·3) g/day). Growth rates of supplemented lambs were L 100 (s.e. 2), H 104 (s.e. 2), B 134 (s.e. 5), W 103 (s.e. 3) g/day.At 6 weeks of age, unsupplemented lambs trom all genetic types were hypocupraemic and, at all ages, unsupplemented L and B lambs had lower concentrations of Cu in plasma and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity than had unsupplemented H and W lambs. Supplemented lambs always had greater concentrations of Cu in plasma and SOD activities than had their unsupplemented counterparts. Supplementation increased the haemoglobin concentration for B (in year 2) and L lambs but not for H and W lambs. Cholesterol concentrations in plasma were unaffected by selection but were slightly higher in unsupplemented lambs. The concentration of total protein and the activity of aspartate transaminase were unaffected by genotype or Cu supplementation. In the liver of lambs at slaughter, the concentration of Cu was lower for unsupplemented lambs and inversely related to the concentration of iron.It was concluded that (i) genotype was an important determinant of hypocuprosis; (ii) the degree of hypocuprosis could not be predicted from herbage analyses alone, but instead may be predicted from biochemical assessment of the lamb; and (iii) the dose of Cu supplement used was inadequate for L and B lambs and recommended levels could be increased, within limits, without risk of toxicity.

Mineral supplementation practices of adults in seven western states

Seven western states in the U.S. were surveyed to evaluate the frequency of supplement intakes for calcium, iron, and zinc for an adult population. Of the 2451 adults who completed and returned the questionnaire, there were 1643 supplement users. Thirteen percent of these indicated use of a calcium supplement, 11% an iron supplement, and 12% a zinc supplement. More females than males were mineral supplement users. The data indicated that there is a potential for low copper status due to some levels of zinc and calcium supplementation; low zinc status due to some levels of iron supplementation; and low iron status due to some levels of calcium supplementation. The reasons cited for mineral supplement use related to a number of misconceptions as to the physiologic role of calcium and zinc in particular. The use of these supplement were for undocumented reasons, and at some of the intake levels consumed, users may be detracting from their nutritional status via the potential interaction among the minerals.

Observations on the pancreas of cattle deficient in copper

Lesions were found in the pancreas of clinically normal cattle of low copper status. In comparison with the pancreas of cattle with normal hepatic copper reserves, the abnormalities were an increase in the dry matter content and reduction in the concentrations of protein and copper in the wet tissue. Cytochrome oxidase activity and protein-to-RNA ratio were also reduced. Histologically, there were defects in acinar basement membranes, splitting and disorganization of acini, cellular atrophy and dissociation, and stromal proliferation. The pancreatic ductular system did not show atrophy or disorganization.

An appraisal of currently used soil tests for available copper with reference to deficiencies in English soils

AbstractEight soil tests for plant‐available copper were used on twenty English soils of moderate to low copper status. The ability of these tests to predict plant copper uptake, tested in a pot trial, was compared using multiple regression analysis including other soil factors such as pH, organic matter and clay content.The EDTA soil test was found to give the best prediction of plant uptake from a regression equation including EDTA extractable soil copper, pH, free Mn and Fe oxide, clay and organic matter content.

INTERACTIONS OF VESICULAR‐ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL INFECTIONS AND HEAVY METALS IN PLANTS

SUMMARYLeeks were grown on a γ‐irradiated soil selected for its low copper status, in a factorial experiment with additions of phosphorus and copper, and with or without inoculation with Glomus mosseae. There was no response in growth to added phosphorus, but responses to added copper and to inoculation. The results indicate that an infection with mycorrhizal fungi can increase the supply of copper to the host plant, in conditions where increased phosphorus nutrition does not increase dry weight. It is suggested that copper is absorbed and translocated by mycorrhizal hyphae in a manner analogous to that which occurs for phosphorus.

Teratogenesis and low copper status resulting from triethylenetetramine in rats.

The teratogenicity of triethylenetetramine (TETA) was studied using the Sprague-Dawley rat. TETA was fed during pregnancy at levels of 0 (control), 0.17, 0.83, or 1.66% in a complete purified diet. The frequency of resorptions and the frequency of abnormal fetuses at term increased with increasing levels of the drug. Maternal and fetal tissue copper levels were significantly lower in the TETA groups than in controls, with levels decreasing in a dose-related manner. Maternal kidney and fetal liver zinc levels increased within the TETA groups in a dose-related manner. Maternal liver iron was increased in the high-dose group compared to controls. Fetal iron concentration and maternal and fetal manganese level were not significantly affected by the drug. These results show that TETA can be a teratogenic agent. Furthermore, the results suggest that the teratogenicity of the drug may be due in part to induction of copper deficiency, and perhaps through induction of zinc toxicity.

Investigation of the effect of copper status and therapy on fertility in beef suckler herds

SUMMARYA survey on 17 beef suckler herds in the north-east of Scotland showed that there was no relationship between herd serum copper concentration (range 0·16–0·92 μg/ml) measured within 1 month of mating and the conception rate of the herd calculated from the pattern of calving to that mating. Cows treated with 100 mg copper before mating, in trials on four farms with low copper status and involving 221 animals, did not have an improved conception rate compared with control animals on the same farm. Copperper sewould therefore not appear to be a major factor in determining the fertility of beef suckler herds.

Teratogenesis and low copper status resulting from D-penicillamine in rats.

The teratogenicity of D-penicillamine was studied using the Sprague-Dawley rat. Fetuses from rats fed diets containing 0.83% D-penicillamine during pregnancy had a high incidence of malformations. Maternal and fetal tissue copper levels were significantly lower in the D-penicillamine group than in controls, suggesting that the teratogenicity of the drug may be due in part to the induction of copper deficiency by its chelating properties.

Tolerance of triticale, wheat and rye to copper deficiency and low and high soil pH

Abstract The tolerance of triticale to low copper status in a soil adjusted to extremes of pH was determined in pots in a glasshouse experiment, and compared with the tolerance of its parent species, wheat and rye. Wheat plants were extremely sensitive to copper deficiency at all soil pH values and failed to produce heads or grain, whereas rye produced maximum yield irrespective of copper status or soil pH. Intermediate tolerance of triticale was demonstrated by virtue of the copper‐pH‐genotype interaction in that triticale was tolerant like rye at pH 5.0, but sensitive at pH 8.4 like wheat. Concentrations of copper were highest in rye and lowest in wheat, and decreased with increasing pH. The uptake of copper into grain and shoot was also lowest in wheat, and showed the same pH dependence as concentration. The appearance of copper deficiency symptoms on all plants which had low yields suggests that the major effect of pH in this system was on copper availability; the change in availability was, however, ...

Control of hypocupraemia in cattle by addition of copper to water supplies.

Methods for the control of induced or simple hypocupraemia in cattle were tested using a free-choice copper supplement or by adding a soluble copper salt to the water supply, using a specially designed proportioner. In molybdenum induced hypocupraemia the provision of a free-choice supplement containing 2500 mg Cu per kg resulted in only 10 out of 18 of the cows tested having adequate serum copper levels after a five month grazing period. Supplementation of water supplies to a level of 5 mg Cu per litre was effective in raising and maintaining serum copper at normal levels in a herd of low copper status when offered for a similar period. In experimentally produced molybdenosis, 2 to 3 mg per litre in drinking water corrected the associated diarrhoea and abolished the anomalous blood fractions found at high levels of molybdenum intake in three and five days respectively. It is suggested that water supplementation using a proportioner such as the one described is an effective way of combating both simple and induced hypocupraemia in grazing cattle.

The sensitivity of hexaploid and octoploid triticales and their parent species to copper deficiency

The tolerance of two triticales to soil of low copper status was determined in deep pots in a glasshouse experiment, and compared with the tolerance of their wheat and rye parent types. Both tetraploid and hexaploid wheats were extremely sensitive to copper deficiency, producing no grain without copper added to the soil. In contrast, rye and the hexaploid triticale were completely tolerant of the copper-deficient soil, producing as much grain without added copper as at the highest rate of copper supply. The octoploid triticale produced about 60% of maximum grain yield in the unamended soil, a performance intermediate between its rye and hexaploid-wheat parents. The cause of grain failure in the wheats was pollen sterility induced by copper deficiency, and this was related to low uptake of copper into the shoot and heads of wheat from the unamended soil. The pattern of uptake of zinc was quite different from that of copper in these plants, which suggests that a specific uptake mechanism for copper exists in rye which is genetically controlled and transferable to triticale, its hybrid with wheat. The copper efficiency so conferred on triticale would appear to be adequate for most field situations where copper deficiency exists.

Effect of copper status on brain neurotransmitter metabolism in the lamb.

Abstract— Ataxic and non‐ataxic lambs reared under field conditions which gave rise to low copper status were treated with copper intravenously. Untreated ataxic animals served as controls. The neurotransmitter amines, dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin, were determined in the anterior and posterior regions of the brain stem. Dopamine levels in the anterior region, including the corpus striatum, were significantly lower in the untreated animals than in those treated with copper. Norepinephrine levels were also lower but serotonin concentrations were not different. Plasma amine oxidase activity was markedly higher in the copper treated animals but monoamine oxidase activity in brain stem homogenates was not significantly affected. The monoamine oxidase activity in cortical and cerebellar homogenates was significantly lower in the treated animals than in the untreated animals.

Blood copper and serum enzyme changes following copper calcium E.D.T.A. administration to hill sheep of low copper status

Changes in blood copper and serum enzyme levels following copper calcium complex of ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid administration were studied in ewes in 3 hill flocks of low copper status and with a history of swayback. Blood copper levels increased within a few hours of injection in all the sheep and in some animals from 2 flocks there was a release of liver-specific enzymes into the blood 24 to 48 hours after dosing. Three animals died within 36 hours of injection. The compound was effective in maintaining blood copper levels in late pregnancy and successfully prevented swayback.

Early morphological and histochemical consequences of peripheral nerve section in lambs of normal and low copper status.

Early morphological and histochemical consequences of peripheral nerve section in lambs of normal and low copper status.

Studies on copper and cobalt therapy of cattle in central coastal Queensland

Four experiments described determined the effect of copper and cobalt therapy on the growth and productivity of cattle on the marine plains of central coastal Queensland. Copper was administered by subcutaneous injections of copper glycinate, and cobalt by dosing per os with heavy cobalt pellets. The growth of weaned cattle was significantly improved by copper, particularly from June to October when limited palatable feed on the high ground forced the animals to forage on the para grass swamps. During the same period, 2-year-old heifers also showed a growth response to copper. Their conception rate increased after 19 months of copper therapy but not after 10.5 months. The growth rate of their calves bas significantly increased by copper supplementation. Liver copper concentrations were always low in untreated cattle. Copper therapy maintained these reserves at higher levels, which varied according to the season and the rate of growth of the animals. Calves born to treated cows had higher initial liver copper reserves than those from untreated cows, but in the absence of copper therapy these reserves declined to low and comparable levels in all calves at weaning. Pasture analyses suggest that the copper deficiency revealed was due to interference with copper metabolism rather than to a low copper status in the diet; this interference did not appear to be due to molybdenum. Weaned cattle appeared to respond to cobalt during 1960 but not subsequently, while the cows and calves showed no response. The vitamin B12 status in liver and serum appeared adequate in both treated and untreated cattle.

Effects of Daily Administration of Lead Acetate and Zinc Sulphate during Pregnancy on the Copper, Lead and Zinc Status of Ewes and their Lambs

Lead acetate supplying 250 mg. Pb per day throughout pregnancy appeared to reduce the total copper content of the liver and kidneys of both ewes and their lambs. The reductions approached significance. While lead reduced the concentration of copper in these tissues it also reduced the liver and kidney dry weights and this was an important factor in determining their total copper contents. Administration of lead did not induce swayback in the lambs, even though the ewes were initially of low copper status. Zinc sulfate supplying 2 g. Zn per day throughout pregnancy did not alter the copper content of the livers of the ewes. Significant correlations were found between the concentrations of copper in the whole blood of the ewes and in the livers of ewes and lambs. Significant correlations were also obtained between both the concentrations and the total contents of copper in the livers of ewes and their respective lambs. The total copper content of liver may be a better guide to the copper status than a simple expression of copper as a concentration. 8 references, 1 figure, 6 tables.

Goitre and low copper status in a litter of meat-fed pups

Abstract Extract Raw meat commonly forms the basic diet of weanling dogs. Although there are many reports of the development of bony changes and thyroid enlargement on such diets (see discussion) high mortality has not been reported. In the case described here, all but one of a litter of eight five-month-old German Shepherd pups on a raw meat diet died in the space of two weeks, with enlarged thyroids, bony changes and low liver copper levels.

The copper status of cattle and buffalo in Malaya

1. Liver samples were taken from 95 mature zebu cattle and buffalo in Malaya for determinations of copper. A larger proportion were from Perak than from other States but whether the Perak samples were considered alone or with the remainder about 80% had liver copper values below 20 p.p.m.2. Among Perak animals (all cattle) almost all those with low copper values were in moderate to poor condition but among the remainder about 50% of these with low copper values were in good condition.3. In 12 Perak animals the numbers of parasites of the gastro-intestinal tract and of pancreatic and liver flukes were determined as well as the concentrations of liver copper. There were very few parasites other than pancreatic and liver flukes. Liver flukes may have caused low copper values in some animals but in general there was little evidence for a relationship between parasites and a low copper status. Anaemia did not accompany low liver copper values in these animals.

The variation in the copper content of the blood of normal sheep

The blood copper of normal sheep from the Institute flock at Cambridge was studied over the period October-April for three lambing seasons and showed no changes characteristic of pregnancy; in contrast to the behaviour of human beings and possibly sheep of low copper status. What changes there were took place in both pregnant and nonpregnant sheep, did not reflect the transfer of copper to the foetus and appeared to be due to extrinsic factors.Comparison of the blood copper of the lamb with that of its dam for four lambing seasons showed that it was a changing quantity at birth, being lower in the foetus, variable a few hours after birth and higher some days later than in the ewe.The blood copper of suckling lambs was studied from birth in February-March until June, for three seasons. There tended to be high values in the first 1 or 2 weeks of life, which decreased in the course of approximately 10 weeks.

Hypocupræmia in Cattle

THE occurrence of a suspected copper deficiency in cattle in Aberdeenshire was recently reported1, the evidence being based on the low copper content of the pastures and on the similarity of the symptoms to those of ‘peat scours’ in New Zealand described by Cunningham2. No blood copper data were given to correlate the suspected low copper status of the cattle with the low copper value of the pasture.