Association between Copper, Selenium and Zinc Levels and Foot Rot in Sheep: The Case of Sétif Region

Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn) and Selenium (Se) are three trace elements whose deficiency can predispose sheep to various diseases, foot rot being the most common. This study aimed to assesses the link between Cu, Zn and Se levels and foot rot in the Sétif region of Algeria and to establish a prophylactic and therapeutic scheme to correct deficiencies.

Conducted at the “the Khababa Abdelwahab” experimental farm (Setif, Algeria), the study involved tow experiments. Experiment 1 measured serum Cu, Zn and Se in 37 Ouled Djellal sheep (15 healthy, 12 stage 2, 10 stage 3) using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Experiment 2 evaluated Thespophor Oligo (oral Cu/Zn) and Sodiferol (injectable Se) in 15 stage 1 cases. Treatments were administrated over several days, repeated after 30 days and serum trace elements retested. Data were analyzed using t-tests, Bonferroni correction, repeated-measures ANOVA and Pearson correlation, with significance set at P<0.05 (adjusted to 0.0167 for multiple comparisons).

In foot rot-affected sheep, severity was associated with a marked selenium and zinc decrease and a pronounced copper increase especially at stage 3. Treatment corrected selenium deficiency but not zinc deficiency or copper excess. Hypercupremia appears linked to metabolic or inflammatory disturbances and mineral imbalance.