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6.16 Some Advances in Clinical Biochemistry Relating to Trace Metals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2018

C. H. McMurray
Affiliation:
Veterinary Research Laboratories, Stoney Road, Stormont, Belfast, BT4 3SD
W. J. Blanchflower
Affiliation:
Veterinary Research Laboratories, Stoney Road, Stormont, Belfast, BT4 3SD
P. J. McParland
Affiliation:
Veterinary Research Laboratories, Stoney Road, Stormont, Belfast, BT4 3SD
D. G. O'Neill
Affiliation:
Veterinary Research Laboratories, Stoney Road, Stormont, Belfast, BT4 3SD
D. A. Rice
Affiliation:
Veterinary Research Laboratories, Stoney Road, Stormont, Belfast, BT4 3SD
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Extract

The clinical signs of copper (Cu) deficiency are largely non-specific and a number of laboratory tests have been used extensively to assist in diagnosis. Among these are whole blood, plasma and serum Cu and caeruloplasmin (McMurray, 1980). However, for any marker to be useful diagnostically, it is necessary to identify any factors which can affect it. Plasma and serum Cu are not equivalent but are related by the equation:

Serum Cu (mg/l) = 11.7 + 0.66 plasma Cu (mg/l). The regression was obtained from the means of 24 groups of suckler cows and calves (> 10 animals/group). The equivalent relationship between serum and plasma caeruloplasmin is:

Serum caeruloplasmin = 0.0018

+ 0.59 plasma caeruloplasmin.

Units of caeruloplasmin are absorbance units in the phenylene diamine assay.

Thus, the range of normality will depend on the sample being used for the assay. The reduction in serum values is due to the loss of caeruloplasmin during blood clotting.

Type
6. Poster Presentations
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Production 1983

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References

McMurray, C. H. 1980. Copper deficiency in Ruminants. In Biological Roles of Copper, CIBA Foundation Symposium No. 79, pp. 183207. Elsevier, North Holland.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McMurray, C. H. and Blanchflower, W. J. 1979a. Determination of α tocopherol in animal feedingstuffs using HPLC with spectrofluorescence detection. J. Chromat. 176: 488492.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McMurray, C. H. and Blanchflower, W. J. 1979b. Application of a HPLC fluorescence method for the determination of a tocopherol in plasma of cattle and pigs (etc). J. Chromat. 178: 525531.Google Scholar
McMurray, C. H., Blanchflower, W. J. and Rice, D. A. 1980. Influence of extraction techniques on determination of α tocopherol in animal feedingstuffs. J. Assn Off. Anal. Chemists 63: 12581261.Google Scholar