Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T23:48:12.463Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

An effect of soil ingestion on the utilization of dietary copper by sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

N. F. Suttle
Affiliation:
Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh
B. J. Alloway
Affiliation:
Applied Geochemistry Research Group, Imperial College, London
I. Thornton
Affiliation:
Applied Geochemistry Research Group, Imperial College, London

Summary

To test the hypothesis that the ingestion of Mo-rich soils by ruminants might adversely affect Cu metabolism, four groups of initially hypocupraemic ewes were repleted with a Cu-supplemented diet either soil-free or containing 10% of one of three soils of low, medium and high Mo content. The three soils were equally effective in inhibiting the response in plasma Cu and probably reduced the availability of Cu by more than 50%. The ingestion of certain soils produced increases in urinary Mo and Zn concentrations, indicating that the Mo and Zn ingested in soil can be biologically available: however, these Cu antagonists were probably released in insufficient quantities to have contributed greatly to the observed interference with Cu metabolism. Soil ingestion may be involved in the aetiology of hypocuprosis in cattle and swayback in sheep, since it commonly constitutes 10% of the D.M. intake of animals grazing winter pasture.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1975

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Abdellatif, A. M. M. (1968). Conditioned hypocuprosis: some effects of diet on copper storage in ruminants. Verslogen Van Landbouwkundige Onderzecgingen 709, 4358.Google Scholar
Alloway, B. J. (1973). Copper and molybdenum in swayback pastures. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 80, 521–4.Google Scholar
Allcroft, R. & Lewis, G. (1957). Copper nutrition in ruminants. Disorders associated with copper-molybdenum-sulphate content of foodstuffs. Journal of Science in Food and Agriculture 8, S 96104.Google Scholar
Arnold, G. W., McManus, W. R. & Bush, I. G. (1966). Studies in the wool production of grazing sheep. 5. Observations on teeth wear and carry over effects. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 6, 101–7.Google Scholar
Barlow, R. M. (1964). Combating swayback in lambs. Scottish Agriculture 44, 123–8.Google Scholar
Bonsnes, R. W. & Taussky, H. H. (1945). Estimation of creatinine using the Jaffe reaction. Journa o Biological Chemistry 158, 581–7.Google Scholar
Field, A. C. & Purves, D. (1964). The intake of soil by grazing sheep. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 23, xxiv–v.Google Scholar
Field, A. C., Sykes, A. R. & Gunn, R. G. (1974). Effects of age and state of incisor dentition on faecal output of dry matter and faecal and urinary outputs of nitrogen and minerals of sheep grazing hill pastures. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 83 151–60.Google Scholar
Grant-Frost, D. R. & Underwood, E. J. (1958). Zinc toxicity in the rat and its interrelation with copper. Australian Journal of Experimental Biology and Medical Science 36, 339–48.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Healy, W. B. (1967). Ingestion of soil by sheep. Proceedings of New Zealand Society of Animal Production 27, 109–20.Google Scholar
Healy, W. B. (1968). Ingestion of soil by dairy cows. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 11, 487–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Healy, W. B. (1969). The influence of soil type on ingestion of soil by grazing animals. 9th International Congress of Soil Science Transactions, III, 437–45.Google Scholar
Healy, W. B. (1970). Ingested soil as a possible source of elements for grazing animals. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 30, 1119.Google Scholar
Healy, W. B. & Ludwig, T. G. (1965). Wear of sheep's teeth. I. The role of ingested soil. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 8, 737–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Healy, W. B., McCabe, W. J. & Wilson, G. F. (1970). Ingested soil as a source of micro-elements for grazing animals. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 13, 503–21.Google Scholar
Kilmer, V. J. & Alexander, L. T. (1949). Methods of making mechanical analysis of soils. Soil Science 68, 1524.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mills, C. F. & Dalgarno, A. C. (1972). Copper and zinc status of ewes and lambs receiving increased dietary concentrations of cadmium. Nature, London 239, 171–3.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, B. S. W. & Weight, H. (1974). Improved manual and automated procedures for estimation of caeruloplasmin oxidase activity. Clinica Chimica Acta 50, 359–66.Google Scholar
Smith, J. C. & Halsted, J. A. (1970). Clay ingestion (geophagia) as a source of zinc for rats. Journal of Nutrition 100, 973–80.Google Scholar
Stanton, R. E. & Hardwick, A. J. (1967). The colorimetric determination of molybdenum in soils and sediments by zinc dithiol. Analyst 92, 387–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suttle, N. F. (1974 a). Effects of molybdenum and sulphur at concentrations commonly encountered in ruminant diets on the availability of copper to sheep. Proceedings of Second International Symposium on Trace Element Metabolism in Animals. Wisconsin, pp. 612–14.Google Scholar
Suttle, N. F. (1974 b). A technique for measuring the biological availability of copper to sheep, using hypocupraemic ewes. British Journal of Nutrition 32, 395405.Google Scholar
Suttle, N. F. & Field, A. C. (1968). Effect of intake of copper, molybdenum and sulphate on copper metabolism in sheep. I. Clinical condition and distribution of copper in blood of the pregnant ewe. Journal of Comparative Pathology 78, 351–62.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Suttle, N. F. & Mills, C. F. (1966). Studies of the toxicity of copper to pigs. 1. Effects of oral supplements of zinc and iron salts on the development of copper toxicosis. British Journal of Nutrition 20, 135–48.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thomson, I., Thornton, I. & Webb, J. S. (1972). Molybdenum in black shales and the incidence of bovine hypocuprosis. Journal of Science in Food and Agriculture 23, 879–91.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thorton, I. (1974). Biochemical and soil ingestion studies in relation to trace element nutrition of livestock. In Proceedings of Second International Symposium on Trace Element Metabolism in Animals. Wisconsin, pp. 451–4.Google Scholar
Thornton, I., Kershaw, G. F. & Davies, M. K. (1972 a, b). An investigation into copper deficiency in cattle in the Southern Pennines. I. Identification of suspect areas using geochemical reconnaissance followed by blood copper surveys. II. Response to copper supplementation. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 78, 157–63 and 165–71.Google Scholar