Osteoporosis in water buffalo, in relation to age, clinical condition of the animal and physical-chemical bone and hepatic copper status

Abstract

This paper is part of a research program of metabolic nutritional diseases in water buffalo in the Humid Tropical Amazon. In that context, the objective was to study osteoporotic processes in buffalo raised in a grazing system on Marajó Island and the relation of the disease with the age as well as physical-chemical bone and hepatic copper status. One hundred and ten animals were evaluated: 39 young or juvenile and 71 adults that presented Body Condition Index from 1 to 2. One group was composed by young buffalo and another by adult animals. Based on anatomical-clinical and bone quality analyses, the animals were subdivided in two sub-groups, according to presence or absence of clinical signs of apparent osteopathic. Analysis of calcium, phosphorus, ash and bone density was performed on the middle third of the 11th right rib, and the copper concentration was determined from liver tissue. Pathological anatomical findings showed that 98.44% of juvenile animals and 96.16% of adult animals, respectively, presented some degree of osteoporosis (+, ++, +++). Low average percentages were demonstrated for phosphorus (10.69%), in ashes (60.24%) and in density (1.46 g/ml). Hepatic copper presented similar low values (19.51 mg/kg). The results showed that juvenile animals presented more severe clinical sign of osteoporosis, and the pathogenesis may be related to low reserves of phosphorus in bony tissue and copper in liver tissue.