Antioxidant vitamins and microminerals in cows with foot-and-mouth disease

Foot and-mouth disease (FMD) is an acute, highly contagious inflammatory viral disease of domestic and wild animals which causes decrease in productivity and lead to mortality. This study was conducted to investigate the levels of copper, zinc, magnesium and iron, α-tocopherol, vitamin D3, vitamin C and lipid peroxidation in cow with foot-and-mouth disease. Sixty native black cows infected by foot-and-mouth disease and twenty healthy controls were selected for the study after clinical and serological examination. In the diseased animals, the malondialdehyde (p< 0.00) and copper (p< 0.001) levels were increased while the vitamin C, α-tocopherol (p< 0.001), vitamin D3 (p< 0.05) magnesium (p< 0.001) and iron (p< 0.005) levels were decreased relative to controls. Although the zinc level was not changed, the Cu/Zn ratio was elevated in the diseased group. The obsereved changes may be the result of secondary infections due to suppressed immune system and losses of tissue and mucosa associated with foot-and-mouth disease.