INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE INFLUENCE OF SELE NIUM AND VITAMIN-E ON RED AND WHITE BLOOD PICTURES, ON CONCENTRATIONS OF SEVERAL MINERALS AND MICROELEMENTS IN BLOOD-SERUM, AND ON IMMUNOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN CALVES

The investigations were done on 12 calves (age: 3 to 8 weeks). Six cal ves received (with an interval of two weeks) two intramuscular injecti ons, each of which contained 5.75 mg selenium and 75 mg alpha-tokopher olacetate (Ursoselevit(R)). Subsequently, they showed higher blood leu kocyte counts (with less variation; p < 0.05), a greater phagocytosis index and more NET-positive granulocytes than six untreated controls. Furthermore, their sera contained more carotenes, vitamin A and gamma- globulines than those of the controls. The other parameters considered within this trial (i. e. erythrocyte count, hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, serum contents of calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, copper, iron and zinc) did not show statistically valable differences between the members of the two groups.