title: Effect of higher levels of dietary selenium on production performance and immune responses in growing Japanese quail.
abstract: 1. The effect of increasing dietary selenium (Se) on production performance and immune responses in growing (0 to 6 weeks) Japanese quail was investigated. 2. One-day-old chicks (240) were randomly selected and divided into 12 groups with 20 chicks in each group (3 dietary treatments x 4 replicates). The basal diet contained 0.2 mg Se/kg and the two experimental diets were supplemented with 0.5 and 1.0 mg Se/kg. 3. Body weight gain, food intake and food conversion ratio and mortality were not affected by Se supplementation. 4. On d 28, antibody responses to inoculated sheep red blood cells were determined. Antibody titres were significantly higher after feeding the two Se-supplemented diets. 5. During week 4, the response to intradermally injected phytohaemagglutinin, an index of the in vivo cell-mediated immune response, was shown to be increased in the groups fed on the Se-supplemented diets. 6. After 6 weeks, the relative weights of the bursa of Fabricius and thymus were greater in the chicks given the Se-supplemented diets but there was no effect on the relative weight of spleen and liver. 7. It is concluded that supplementing the diet with Se has a beneficial effect on immune responses but does not affect production performance in growing Japanese quail.
authors.affiliation: Division of Physiology and Reproduction, Central Avian Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India. drbiswas007@rediffmail.com
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biswas
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mohan
authors.forename: K V H
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Sastry
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis*; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D002060:Bursa of Fabricius / Q000187:drug effects; D003370:Coturnix / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology*; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D012643:Selenium / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000187:drug effects; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D012643:Selenium