Veterinary Research Forum
Vet Res Forum

Copper and zinc dynamics in ovine pneumonia: a comparative analysis of treatment regimens

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Amir Ganjkhanloo
Bahram Dalir-Naghadeh
Ghader Jalilzadeh-Amin
Siamak Asri-Rezaei

Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

https://doi.org/10.30466/vrf.2024.2043423.4496
Abstract
Pneumonia remains a significant economic burden on the small ruminant industry. Excessive inflammation, oxidative stress, and alterations in copper and zinc can accompany pneumonia. As these micro-nutrients play crucial roles in immune function and anti-oxidant defence, modulating their levels may influence the disease progression. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different therapeutic regimens on copper and zinc status in lambs with pneumonia. Twenty lambs with pneumonia were randomly assigned to four treatment groups: oxytetracycline and tylosin (OT), OT plus vitamin B1 (OTVB1), OT plus vitamin C (OTVC), and OT plus vitamin B1 and vitamin C (OTVB1C). A control group received only distilled water. Blood samples were collected on days 1, 3, 6, and 14 for subsequent assessment of plasma copper and zinc concentrations. While the control group maintained stable levels, the pneumonic groups exhibited varying degrees of changes. Plasma copper concentrations increased significantly in all pneumonic groups compared to the control group throughout the study. The OT and OTVB1C groups had the highest number of lambs with increased copper level. Plasma zinc concentrations decreased significantly in the OT and OTVB1 groups, with the lowest levels in the OTVB1 group on day 3. The OTVC group mirrored the control group with stable levels. The OTVB1C group, compared to the other groups, showed a more persistent reduction. These findings suggest that the effects of the various treatment regimens on plasma copper and zinc levels may be complex and time-dependent.

Keywords

Copper
Pneumonia
Small ruminants
Zinc

Subjects

  1. Goodwin-Ray KA, Stevenson MA, Heuer C, et al. Economic effect of pneumonia and pleurisy in lambs in New Zealand. N Z Vet J 2008; 56(3): 107-114.
  2. Goodwin KA, Jackson R, Brown C, et al. Pneumonic lesions in lambs in New Zealand: patterns of prevalence and effects on production. N Z Vet J 2004; 52(4): 175-179.
  3. Nicholas RAJ, Ayling RD, Loria GR. Ovine mycoplasmal infections. Small Rumin Res 2008; 76(1-2): 92-98.
  4. Youssef MA, El-Khodery SA, Ibrahim HM. Antioxidant trace elements in serum of draft horses with acute and chronic lower airway disease. Biol Trace Elem Res 2012; 150(1-3): 123-129.
  5. Joshi V, Bhanuprakash AG, Mandal RSK, et al. Oxidative stress and imbalance of serum trace mineral metabolism contribute to bovine respiratory disease in dairy calves. Indian J Anim Sci 2018; 88(3): 295-299.
  6. Gammoh NZ, Rink L. Zinc and the Immune System. In: Mahmoudi M, Rezaei N (Eds). Nutrition and Immunity. 1st Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019; 127-158.
  7. Gombart AF, Pierre A, Maggini S. A review of micronutrients and the immune system-working in harmony to reduce the risk of infection. Nutrients 2020; 12(1): 236. doi: 10.3390/nu12010236.
  8. Scaletti RW, Trammell DS, Smith BA, et al. Role of dietary copper in enhancing resistance to Escherichia coli mastitis. J Dairy Sci 2003; 86(4): 1240-1249.
  9. Shoieb SM, Mohamed Ibrahim HM, Sayed-Ahmed M, et al. Antioxidant trace elements and oxidative stress levels associated with pasteurellosis in camel-calves (Camelus dromedarius). J Vet Sci Technol 2016; 7(6): 1000393. doi: 10.4172/2157-7579.1000393.
  10. López-López P, Rojas-Sobarzo L, Arredondo-lguín M. Benefits of selenium, magnesium, and zinc in obesity and metabolic syndrome. In: del Moral AM, Aguilera Garcia CM (Eds). Obesity. London, UK: Academic Press 2018; 197-211.
  11. Lan L, Feng Z, Liu X, et al. The roles of essential trace elements in T cell biology. J Cell Mol Med 2024; 28(10): e18390. doi: 10.1111/jcmm.18390.
  12. Haase H, Rink L. Functional significance of zinc-related signaling pathways in immune cells. Annu Rev Nutr 2009; 29: 133-152.
  13. Constable PD, Hinchcliff KW, Done SH, et al. Veterinary medicine: a textbook of the diseases of cattle, horses, sheep, pigs and goats. 11th St. Louis, USA: Elsevier Health Sciences 2016; 868-872.
  14. Masssoudi A, Jalilzadeh-Amin G, Dalir-Naghadeh B, et al. Ascorbic acid and thiamine as adjunctive therapy for ovine pneumonia. Small Rumin Res 2024; 236: 107293. doi: 10.1016/j.smallrumres.2024.107293.
  15. Dubick MA, Williams C, Elgjo GI, et al. High-dose vitamin C infusion reduces fluid requirements in the resuscitation of burn-injured sheep. Shock 2005; 24(2): 139-144.
  16. Moskowitz A, Andersen LW, Huang DT, et al. Ascorbic acid, corticosteroids, and thiamine in sepsis: a review of the biologic rationale and the present state of clinical evaluation. Crit Care 2018; 22(1): 283. doi: 10.1186/ s13054-018-2217-4.
  17. Chen Q, Vissers MCM. Vitamin: new biochemical and functional insights. In: Carr AC (Ed). Vitamin C in pneumonia and sepsis. 1st Boca Raton, USA: CRC Press 2020; 115-135.
  18. Gangolf M, Czerniecki J, Radermecker M, et al. Thiamine status in humans and content of phosphorylated thiamine derivatives in biopsies and cultured cells. PloS One 2010; 5(10): e13616. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0013616.
  19. Kim WY, Jo EJ, Eom JS, et al. Combined vitamin C, hydrocortisone, and thiamine therapy for patients with severe pneumonia who were admitted to the intensive care unit: propensity score-based analysis of a before-after cohort study. J Crit Care 2018; 47: 211-218.
  20. Matsuoka T, Shinozaki H, Ozawa S, et al. Administration of corticosteroids, ascorbic acid, and thiamine improves oxygenation after thoracoscopic esophagectomy. Ann Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2020; 26(3): 133-139.
  21. Rizk MA, El-Sayed SAE, Salman D, et al. Immunomodulatory effect of vitamin C on proinflammatory cytokines production in Ossimi Lambs (Ovis aries) with pneumonic pasteurellosis. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11(12): 3374. doi: 10.3390/ ani11123374.
  22. Dharmalingam K, Birdi A, Tomo S, et al. Trace elements as immunoregulators in SARS-CoV-2 and other viral infections. Indian J Clin Biochem 2021; 36(4): 416-426.
  23. Collins JF, Prohaska JR, Knutson MD. Metabolic crossroads of iron and copper. Nutr Rev 2010; 68(3): 133-147.
  24. Kincaid RL. Assessment of trace mineral status of ruminants: a review. J Anim Sci 2000; 77(Suppl E): 1-10.
  25. Spears JW. Trace mineral bioavailability in ruminants. J Nutr 2003; 133(5 Suppl 1): 1506S-1509S.
  26. Cheng F, Peng G, Lu Y, et al. Relationship between copper and immunity: the potential role of copper in tumor immunity. Front Oncol 2022; 12: 1019153. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1019153.
  27. Monteith AJ, Skaar EP. The impact of metal availability on immune function during infection. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2021; 32(11): 916-928.
  28. Al-Qudah KM. Oxidative stress in calves with acute or chronic bronchopneumonia. Rev Med Vet 2009; 160(5): 231-236.
  29. Ekin S, Berber I, Kozat S, et al. Selected trace elements and esterase activity of carbonic anhydrase levels in lambs with pneumonia. Biol Trace Elem Res 2006; 112(3): 233-240.
  30. Rezaei-Saber AP, Davoudi Y, Ghavaminasr M. Study of copper and superoxide dismutase levels in the blood of sheep with febrile pneumonia referred to the Large Animal Clinic of Islamic Azad University of Tabriz [Persian]. J Vet Microbiol 2009; 5(1): 61-65.
  31. Abdel-Saeed H, Salem NY. Evaluation of total anti-oxidant capacity, malondialdehyde, catalase, proteins, zinc, copper and IgE response in ovine verminous pneumonia. Int J Vet Sci 2019; 8(4): 255-258.
  32. Mashayekhi M, Khayat-Nouri MH, Ebadi AR, et al. Comparison of serum levels of vitamin A, ascorbic acid, and zinc in apparently healthy and febrile pneumonia-infected Ghezel sheep [Persian]. J Vet Clin Pathol 2010; 4(3): 883-890.
  33. Jarosz M, Olbert M, Wyszogrodzka G, et al. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of zinc. Zinc-dependent NF-κB signaling. Inflammopharmacology 2017; 25(1): 11-24.
  34. Wessels I, Maywald M, Rink L. Zinc as a gatekeeper of immune function. Nutrients 2017; 9(12): 1286. doi: 10.3390/nu9121286.
  35. Esmaeilnejad B, Tavassoli M, Asri-Rezaei S, et al. Evaluation of antioxidant status, oxidative stress and serum trace mineral levels associated with Babesia ovis parasitemia in sheep. Vet Parasitol 2014; 205(1-2): 38-45.
  36. Ryan AW, Kegley EB, Hawley J, et al. Supplemental trace minerals (zinc, copper, and manganese) as sulfates, organic amino acid complexes, or hydroxy trace-mineral sources for shipping-stressed calves. Appl Anim Sci 2015; 31(4): 333-341.
  37. Kumar S, Awasthi S, Jain A, et al. Blood zinc levels in children hospitalized with severe pneumonia: a case control study. Indian Pediatr 2004; 41(5): 486-491.
  38. Brooks WA, Yunus M, Santosham M, et al. Zinc for severe pneumonia in very young children: double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 2004; 363(9422): 1683-1688.
  39. Çinar M, Aydenizöz M, Gökpinar S, et al. Evaluation of biochemical parameters and oxidative stress in sheep naturally infected with Dicrocoelium dendriticum and hydatid cysts. Turk J Vet Anim Sci 2018; 42(5): 423-428.
  40. Heidarpour M, Mohri M, Borji H, et al. Oxidant/ antioxidant balance and trace elements status in sheep with liver cystic echinococcosis. Comp Clin Pathol 2013; 22: 1043-1049.
  41. Samadieh H, Mohammadi GR, Maleki M, et al. Relationships between oxidative stress, liver, and erythrocyte injury, trace elements and parasite burden in sheep naturally infected with Dicrocoelium dendriticum. Iran J Parasitol 2017; 12(1): 46-55.
  42. Kamr A, Gadallah S, Arbaga A, et al. Oxidant and antioxidant biomarkers and the risk factor of age on their concentrations in pneumonic Arabian camels (Camelus dromedarius). J Camelid Sc 2020; 13: 40-48.
Veterinary Research Forum
Volume 16, Issue 6
June 2025
Pages 331-338

  • Receive Date 20 October 2024
  • Revise Date 29 November 2024
  • Accept Date 25 December 2024

Home

Guide for Authors

Submit Manuscript

Reviewers

Contact Us