ABSTRACT
The diagnostic performance of plasma tests for muscle enzymes was measured in sheep from flocks affected by clinical and sub-clinical nutritional myopathy. Parallel combinations of tests for creatine kinase (CK), alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase had higher diagnostic sensitivity than CK alone. The enzymes ALT and AST showed the highest correlation with the degree of muscle damage. A parallel combination of tests for plasma CK and ALT as well as tests for plasma alpha-tocopherol and red cell glutathione peroxidase are recommended for the diagnosis of nutritional myopathy and a decision on the appropriate treatment. The number of false negative results based on a diagnosis from the microscopic examination of single muscles was higher than for the parallel combination of tests. The number of false negatives was highest for the vastus intermedius and lowest for the tensor fascia lata. Diagnosis using a panel of blood tests has the advantages of overcoming problems of inadequate muscle sampling, a larger number of sheep in the flock can be tested and a more rapid diagnosis can be obtained.
Subject(s)
Muscles/enzymology , Muscular Diseases/veterinary , Nutrition Disorders/veterinary , Sheep Diseases/diagnosis , Alanine Transaminase/blood , Animals , Aspartate Aminotransferases/blood , Creatine Kinase/blood , False Negative Reactions , Glutamate Dehydrogenase/blood , Glutathione Peroxidase/blood , L-Lactate Dehydrogenase/blood , Muscles/chemistry , Muscles/pathology , Muscular Diseases/diagnosis , Muscular Diseases/enzymology , Nutrition Disorders/diagnosis , Nutrition Disorders/enzymology , Reference Values , Sensitivity and Specificity , Sheep , Sheep Diseases/enzymology , Vitamin E/analysis , Vitamin E/bloodABSTRACT
To determine the relationship between plasma and tissue alpha-tocopherol concentrations during vitamin E depletion, weaned lambs were placed on a vitamin E-deficient diet for 0, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks. alpha-Tocopherol was measured in plasma, erythrocytes, liver, adrenal, adipose tissue, three different skeletal muscles and heart muscle. The alpha-tocopherol concentration in plasma fell at the same rate as the alpha-tocopherol concentration in skeletal muscles, heart muscle, adrenal and adipose tissue. The alpha-tocopherol concentration in liver and erythrocytes fell at a faster rate than that of plasma and all muscle tissues. There were significant correlations between alpha-tocopherol concentration in plasma and alpha-tocopherol concentrations in all the tissues measured. Different skeletal muscles had significantly different concentrations of alpha-tocopherol which may relate to their differing susceptibility to nutritional myopathy. The increase in malondialdehyde in oxidatively-stressed muscle tissue and the correlation with alpha-tocopherol concentration in most muscle tissues indicated that the muscles had reduced antioxidant capacity in vitro as a result of vitamin E depletion. It was concluded that during vitamin E depletion in sheep alpha-tocopherol concentration in plasma was a good index of vitamin E status under the experimental conditions employed.
Subject(s)
Vitamin E Deficiency/metabolism , Vitamin E/metabolism , Adipose Tissue/metabolism , Adrenal Glands/metabolism , Animals , Liver/metabolism , Male , Muscles/metabolism , Sheep , Time Factors , Vitamin E/bloodABSTRACT
The activity of exotoxins produced by four strains of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis were compared by their ability to kill white mice, their haemolytic activity, staphylococcal haemolysin-inhibiting effect and activity in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Exotoxins with a haemolytic titre of 1 in 256 or more killed all mice and had the most inhibitory effect (1 in 64 or more) on staphylococcal haemolysin. The haemolytic test and staphylococcal haemolysin inhibitory test of exotoxin activities were highly correlated (P less than 0.001) with the mouse toxicity of the four exotoxins examined. No significant correlation was evident between the ELISA and relative toxicity of the exotoxins.
