1. Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition Immunity Danielle Pogge
Animal Science 429: Sheep
Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition
Immunity
Danielle Pogge

2. Outline Immunity background Antioxidants and immunity
Minerals and related disorders

3. Immunity background Health/Immunological issues in the industry:
Internal parasites/worms
Digestive disorders
Abortion diseases
Foot rot
Sheep Normals:
Body Temperature: ~102°F
Respiration rate: ~20/min
Heartbeat: ~75/min

4. Maintain Healthy Sheep
Management:
Buy healthy sheep
Minimize stressors
Adequate space, nutrition, air quality, social
Biosecurity measures:
Isolate new sheep
Monitor visitors (boot covers, etc)
Clean stock trailers and scales
Shows = place to pick up diseases

5. Innate vs. Adaptive Innate immunity = No Memory and Fast
Non-specific!
Surface barriers: skin and mucous membranes
Internal defense: fever, phagocytes, NK cells, inflammation, antimicrobial proteins
Adaptive immunity = Memory but delayed
Antigen specific!
Developed over lifetime:
Humoral immunity: B cells (bone marrow)
Cellular immunity: T cells (thymus)
Can’t have Adaptive without Innate!

6. The Immune Response Initiation: Resolution:
Fever, swelling, aching, vasodialation
Energy repartitioning to synthesize acute phase proteins (inflammatory mediators)
Reduction in production efficiency
Activation of Adaptive immune response
Immunological memory
Resolution:
Release of anti-inflammatory mediators (TGF-B and IL-10)
Repair tissues (ROS damage)
Down-regulate pro-inflammatory signals

7. Vaccination Response Immunological Memory
Initial response (1°) delayed
Second exposure (2°) = Rapid response
Mobilize lymphocytes

8. Immunity and Production
Influence of an immune response on production:
Hypermetabolic = Inefficient!
Decrease anabolic processes, focused on catabolism
Mobilization of nutrients for immune support
Protein = cytokine production not growth/maintenance
Lipid = reduction in adipose mass
Immune response reactions are expensive (calories and protein) for producers
Reduction in growth and production
Longer days on feed (finishers)
Loss of lambs or ewes (abortions/death)
Increase susceptibility to secondary infections
GI and lungs targets (mucosal surfaces)

9. Antioxidants and Immunity
Antioxidants = Prevention of Oxidative Stress
Defined as: molecules that prevent cell damage against free radicals and are critical for maintaining optimum health
Common antioxidants:
Vitamins (A, C, D, E) and Minerals (Cu, Zn, Mn, Se, Fe)
Free Radicals/ROS
Normal respiration/metabolism (mitochondria)
Infection (mode of killing = release ROS)
UV exposure
Oxidative Stress (Pro-oxidants vs. Antioxidants)
Decreased cell function (apoptosis) and gut integrity = increase pathogen entry to system = Immune reaction!

10. Vitamins and Immunity Vitamin A (beta-carotene): Vitamin D:
Epithelial cell generation (gene functions)
Epithelial cell barrier function (host defense)
Development/differentiation of lymphocytes
Role in activation of T-lymphocytes
Vitamin D:
Enhanced bacterial killing by macrophages
Vitamin E and C:
ROS scavengers

11. Trace Minerals and Immunity
Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, Se
SOD
Catalase
GSH-Px
Immune response
Activation of macrophages
Killing mechanism = release ROS
Increase oxidative damage/stress

12. Vitamin and Mineral Requirements

13. Factors influencing availability
Bioavailability:
A measure of the use of a mineral/vitamin to support a physiological function (Dr. Hansen)
Influencing factors:
Age, stage of production, gender, species, genetics, pH/solubility of mineral, gut integrity/immune status, antagonisms, stress, heat, soil status, storage….

14. Vitamins A, D, E, C Sources: Deficiency: A: forages (carotenoids)
D: Sun exposure (cholesterol  1, 25 OH-D3)
Plants (D2)
E: Leafy plants (only produced by plants)
C: Glucose  Vitamin C (liver)
Deficiency:
A: decreased growth, retained placenta, bone malformation, night blindness
D: rickets (young), osteomalacia (older)
E: white muscle disease, stiffness, arched back
C: scurvy (collagen malformation)

15. Biotin B vitamins: produced by bacteria in rumen Functions:
Involved in CHO, lipid, and protein metabolism
Keratin production (dermis = skin, hair, hooves, etc)
Deficiency:
High concentrate diets may decrease biotin production
Soft hooves that easily crack
Supplementation:
Study: 0.21, 3.26, 5.25mg
Hoof health
Rams?
Bampidis et al. (2006) Animal Feed Science and Technology

16. Mineral classifications:
Macros = required in large amounts (%)
Ca, P, K, S, Na, Mg, Cl
Micros = required in small amounts (ppm/ppb)
Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn, Se, I, Co

17. Calcium (Ca) & Phosphorus (P)
Source:
Forages = Ca high, P low
Cereal grains = P high, Ca low
Supplement Sources:
Limestone (Ca)
Dicalcium phosphate (Ca, P)
Requirements (based on percent diet):
Ca: P Ratio: : 1
% Ca (age dependent)
No toxic level (homeostasis, excretion to urine)
0.16 – 0.38% P
Phytate decrease availability of Ca, P, Mg
Ruminants microbes = phytase (break phytate)

18. Ca and P Functions: Deficiency Bone mineralization (Hydroxyapatite)
Muscle contraction and degradation
Protease calpain
Resting membrane potential (K) P:
High energy bonds (ATP)
Phospholipids (membranes)
Deficiency
Rickets, osteomalacia, osteoperosis
Kidney stones (urinary calculi)
Antagonist with other minerals: Zn, Fe, Mg
Decreased growth and reproduction

19. Urinary Calculi Male sheep (wethers and rams) Kidney stone types:
Small urinary tract design
Kidney stone types:
Phosphates, Ca oxalates; Silica
Cause:
High concentrate diets
Low Ca, High P
Prevention:
Adequate water intake
Salt (increase water intake)
Ammonium Cl or sulfate
Adequate Ca:P ratio 1.5-2: 1
Do not add P to the diet

20. Electrolytes
Sodium (Na), Potassium (K), Chloride (Cl), Magnesium (Mg):
Salt (Na, Cl); Ammoninum Chloride (Cl); Mg oxide
Requirement:
% Na
0.5 – 0.8 % K
% Mg
Functions:
Action potential (depolarization)
Nerve conduction and muscle contraction (K)
Osmotic pressure (electrolytes)
Nutrient Absorption (Na), HCl production (Cl)
Acid-Base Balance
Enzymes for CHO and protein synthesis
Associated with P (Mg)
Phospholipids and enzyme stabilization, DNA/RNA backbones
Deficiency/Toxicity:
Reduced growth, production, and feed efficiency
Muscle weakness (tetany)

21. Grass Tetany Hypomagnesia; “Grass staggers” Symptoms: Cause:
Sensitivity to touch, trembling of facial muscles
Stiff movements, tetanic spasms of all limbs
Cause:
Low blood Mg and high K
Spring grass = low Mg and high K
Mineral imbalance
High K inhibits Mg absorption
Prevention:
Supplement ewes on pasture with Mg

22. Sulfur (S) S in feeds: Requirement: Functions:
S-AA, DDGS, sulfates (supplement)
Requirement: %
Microbe health (S-AA and S-B vitamins)
Functions:
Component of S AA (Met, Cysteine, Cystine, Taurine)
Component of B vit (Thiamin and Biotin)
Wool component (curling/crimping—disulfide bonds)
Redox reactions
Disulfide bonds—sulfhydryl groups
Glutathione synthesis
Detoxify

23. Sulfur Deficiency: Toxicity:
Decreased digestibility and protein synthesis
Reduced wool growth or shedding growth
Toxicity:
High S diets (EtOH byproducts) or high S water
H2S production in rumen = toxic
Reduced intake and gain
Polioencephalomalacia (PEM)
Brain lesions and blindness
Treat: dexamethasone and thamine
Gradual ration changes
Provide roughage (keeps pH up)

24. Trace Minerals: Copper (Cu)
Requirements:
Limited tolerance for Cu (7-11 ppm, Toxic: 25 ppm)
Cattle and swine feed high in Cu
Breed susceptibility
Texel = poor at absorbing Cu
Functions:
Enzymes (collagen formation and immunity)
Cu-Zn SOD– remove ROS
Keratin (wool) production

25. Copper (Cu) Deficiency: Toxicity: Treatment
Cause: dietary antagonisms (Mo, S) –thiomolybdates
Decreased immunity
SOD, cytochrome oxidase
“Sway-back”
Brittle bones and stringy/loss of wool
Toxicity:
Accumulation of excess Cu
Symptoms:
Lethargic, anemic, thirst, red urine, jaundice
Death = 1-2 d after symptoms appear
Treatment
Prevention preferred (do not supplement Cu)
Drench of mg ammonium molybdate and g Na sulfate

26. Zinc (Zn) Requirements: Functions: Deficiency: Foot Rot Treatment
ppm (max = 750 ppm)
Functions:
Enzyme cofactor
Nucleic acid, protein, and CHO metabolism
Immune component
SOD with Cu
Deficiency:
Reduced growth, feed intake, feed efficiency
Impaired immune response
Foot lesions
Foot Rot Treatment
Zn sulfate

27. Selenium (Se) Requirement: narrow window– 0.1 – 0.3 ppm Functions:
2 ppm = toxic
Functions:
Immunity (GSH-Px: blood)
Remove ROS – decrease oxidative stress/damage
Deficiency:
White Muscle Disease
Prevent: Selenium/Vitamin E injection
Decrease repro performance
Increase lamb mortality
Toxicity:
Soil status = in forage
Reduced gain and intake
Lameness
Loss of hair/wool

28. White Muscle Disease Symptoms: Prevention: Stiff rear legs/arched back
Sudden death
Aspiration pneumonia
Poor suckling
Se required for tongue muscles
Decreased reproduction
Prevention:
Vitamin E/Se injection prior to lambing
Provide adequate vitamin E to ewes
High grain = low E
Milk is primary source of E to newborns

29. Iodine (I) Requirement: Goiter 0.1 to 0.8 ppm; 50 ppm = toxic
Symptoms:
Enlarged thyroid
Poor wool coat at birth
Low survival
Prevention:
Iodized salt
Keep in mind goitergens (kale, etc.)

30. Summary
Vitamins and minerals are essential for many processes in the body
Deficiencies and toxicities can result in a reduction in performance
Proper management can eliminate a lot of disorders