CHEMICAL-COMPOSITION AND MICROSTRUCTURE OF UROLITHS AND URINARY SEDIMENT CRYSTALS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FEEDING OF HIGH-LEVEL COTTONSEED MEALDIET TO WATER-BUFFALO CALVES

The chemical composition and microstructure of seven uroliths and four urinary sediment samples associated with the feeding of high-level co ttonseed meal diet to buffalo calves were examined by chemical qualita tive analyses, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction, and X-ray energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). Struvite was a major c omponent of kidney stones and of some bladder stones. The kidney stone sample appeared cracked under low power under SEM, aggregated into ti ny balls under high power, and as a bladelike structure under even hig her power. The bladder stone samples appeared finely granular or granu lar with various forms of prismatic crystals. The urinary sediments we re prismatic crystals, with granules. The newly found prismatic crysta ls, which were rich in potassium and similar to struvite in crystal st ructure, were identified as potassium magnesium phosphate (KMgPO4 . 6H (2)O) in some bladder stones and urinary sediments. However, crystals which contained Mg and P only, which had been used for struvite identi fication, were not found by EDS examination in urinary sediments from fresh urine samples of buffalo calves fed the high-level cottonseed me al diet.