Efeito de selênio e vitamina E sobre o desenvolvimento imunológico de bezerros

Abstract

The immunologícal status and performance were evaluated in forty dairy calves. After feeding colostrum, calves were alloted randomly to the treatments described as follows: T1: animais with high leveis of passive immunity that received vitamin E and selenium supplementation; T2: animais with high levels of passive immunity that received no vitamin E and selenium supplementation; T3: animais with high leveis of passive immunity that received selenium supplementation; T 4: animais with high levels of passive immunity that received vitamin E supplementation; T5: animais with low levels of passive immunity that received vitamin E and selenium supplementation and T6: animais with low leveis of passive immunity that received no vitamin E and selenium supplementation. The experimental period comprised the first seventy days of life and the following parameters were analysed: total serum protein, serum ímmunoglobulin, body weight and qualitative data about diarrhea caracteristics.Vitamin E and seleníum supplementation determinated earlier establishment of immunocompetence in calves with low concentrations of maternal antibodies. These supplemented animais had also the health performance improved ín the period of highest incidence of diarrhea.