Effects of experimental zinc deficiency in relation to Staphylococcus aureus infection on immune system of rats – A pathological study

The present investigation was conducted on 48 male weanling albino rats offered zinc deficient and zinc adequate purified diets. When clinical signs of zinc deficiency appeared, some animals were infected with S. aureus @ 1×10⁶ viable cells per rat in 1 ml. NSS intraperitoneally. Blood samples of each rat were collected for haematological, biochemical, bacteriological and immunological examinations. An increase in neutrophil count and decrease in lymphocytes count were observed due to effect of period. Histopathological examination revealed that in zinc deficient animals, the spleen sections showed reduction in the number and size of white pulps due to depletion of lymphocytes and proliferation of reticular cells in red pulp, whereas the section of thymus exhibited depletion of lymphocytes and growth retardation of lymphoid tissue along with increase in the number of macrophages.