Hepatic Cobalt and Copper Levels in Lambs in Norway

Cobalt and copper concentrations were measured in 599 lamb livers collected at slaughter from 58 sheep flocks in 6 different parts of Norway in 1993. Information about pasture, additional feeding and mineral supplements in the flocks was obtained through a questionnaire. Average hepatic levels of co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica
Main Authors: Sivertsen, T, Plassen, C
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: BioMed Central 2004
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1820984
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15535087
https://doi.org/10.1186/1751-0147-45-69
Description
Summary:Cobalt and copper concentrations were measured in 599 lamb livers collected at slaughter from 58 sheep flocks in 6 different parts of Norway in 1993. Information about pasture, additional feeding and mineral supplements in the flocks was obtained through a questionnaire. Average hepatic levels of cobalt in the lamb flocks varied from <0.003 to 0.22 μg/g ww, and of copper from 5 to 240 μg/g ww. Flocks with deficient or marginal cobalt status were found in all parts of southern Norway, but primarily in the west and south-west. Some flocks with marginal copper status were found in the south-west, while flocks with signs of excessive hepatic copper concentrations were found mainly in inner parts of central and northern Norway. Hepatic copper concentrations were significantly higher in lambs that had grazed mountain pastures than in those that had grazed lowland pastures in the summer.