Symposium on Nutrition, Forage and Pastures: Selenium in Forages as Related to the Geographic Distribution of Muscular Dystrophy in Livestock

Abstract

The Se content of forages from different areas in the U. S. was measured and compared with the history of white muscle disease in the region or on the farm where the forage was grown. The Se content of forages from regions where white muscle disease is fairly common was always less than 0.1 ppm Se. Within a region where white muscle disease is common, there was no marked difference in the Se content of forages from different farms that could be related to differences in the past incidence of white muscle disease or responses to Se treatment on specific farms. The forages obtained from the western part of the Cornbelt, a region where white muscle disease is rare, were markedly higher in Se than forages from areas where white muscle disease is common, but the Se contents of these forages from the western Cornbelt region were much lower than recognized toxic levels of Se. It seems probable that the Se content of the local forages may be an important factor in the broad regional pattern of incidence of muscular dystrophy, or white muscle disease, in livestock. Copyright © 1964. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1964 by American Society of Animal Science