THE IMMUNO-POTENTIATING IMPACT OF VITAMIN E AND ZINC SUPPLEMENTATION ON BUFFALO CALVES VACCINATED AGAINST RINDERPEST"*.

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Dept. of Nutrition and Clinical Nutrition. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza 12211, Egypt.

Abstract

Rinderpest is a highly contagious and fatal  disease of ruminants. Complains from  unsatisfactory immune response to vaccines are quite frequently raised. A study was carried out To evaluate the potential of long te m feeding ofigh levels of vitamin E and Zinc on buffalo calves immune response vaccinated with live attenuated tissue culture Rinderpest vaccine. Two  groups of buffalo calves were used. The calves of the treated group were supplemented with combination of 1500 IU of dl-alpha-tocopherol and 7 g. zinc oxide per animal at weekly intervals  7 weeks prior to vaccination and continued for further 4 weeks post vaccination. The ingredients of the ration were analyzed for moisture, crude Protein anz zinc. Heparinized = and non-heparinized blood samples were collected at Vaccination time ,1,2,3 and 4 weeks post Vaccination. Serum neutralization test and lymphocyte blastogenic response to Phytohaemagglutinin mitogen were used as humoral and cell mediated immune measurements. The results showed that the serum neutralizing antibody titre as well as the blastogenic response of the supplemented group (56.0 8.0 and 2.35 + 0.16 respectively), were significantly (P<0.01) higher as compared to that of the unsupplemented group (26.69 + 5.33 and 1.577 + 0.06 respectively). The trial confirmed that benefits from vitamin E and zinc supplementation “might favor542y modulate the immune competence under infectious stressful conditions. 

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