Activity of some serum enzymes in calves suffering from white muscle disease

The paper described the findings of the activity of aspartate amino transferase (GOT) and alanine amino transferase (GPT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (AP), and aldolase in the blood serum of calves examined for white-muscle disease (WMD). Relapsing mass accurrence of the disease was reported from various agricultural enterprises where calves were fed a milk replacer without vitamin E. In comparison with clinically healthy calves fed a feed mixture with vitamin E, calves suffering from the clinical form of WMD showed an alkaline phosphatase level decrease from 32.3 +/- 7.6 u. K. A. to 15.1 +/- 8.2 u. K. A. On the other hand, the activites of ALD, GOT, GPT, and LDH showed a statistically significant increase. The acute and sub-acute course of the disease increased enzyme activities as follows: ALD from 4.2 +/- 1.1 mumol (= 70.0 +/- 17.0 i.u.) to 9.7 +/- 2.1 mumol (= 163.0 +/- 33.2 i. u.), GOT from 0.9 +/-0.5 mumol (= 68.0 +/- 5.8 i.u.) to 16.7 +/- 11.7 mumol (= 567.0 +/-40.0 i. u.) GPT from 0.2 +/- 0.8 mumol (= 5.0 +/- 12.4 i. u.) to 9.8 +/- 2.8 mumol (= 330.0 +/- 40.4 i.u.), LDH from 46.1 +/- 5.4 mumol (= 765.0 +/- 40.0 i.u.) to 72.7 +/- 24.3 mumol (= 1,207.0 +/- 403.0 i.u.). In WMD-affected herds, similar enzyme activity fluctuations were observed even in calves showing no clinical signs of the disease. It follows from the study that the examination of serum enzymes provides a method to demonstrate the clinical and pre-clinical forms of white-muscle disease and that it can be included in the set of tests for the diagnosis of diseases in calves. The significant differences in all calves in the affected herds show that the disease is a danger to all animals in the herd fed a deficient mixture.