Immunomodulation in weanling swine with dietary selenium

Area of Science:

• Animal Nutrition
• Immunology
• Trace Mineral Research

Background:

• Selenium (Se) is an essential trace mineral vital for immune function.
• Understanding optimal dietary Se levels is crucial for animal health and productivity.
• Previous research suggests a role for Se in augmenting immune responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of varying dietary selenium (Se) concentrations on the immune response of weanling swine.
• To determine if Se supplementation impacts growth performance and immune parameters in pigs.

Main Methods:

• 96 crossbred weanling pigs were fed diets supplemented with sodium selenite at 0 to 1.5 mg/kg.
• Humoral immunity was assessed via immunoglobulin G (IgG) titers to lysozyme and ribonuclease using ELISA.
• Cell-mediated immunity was evaluated by the dermal response to phytohemagglutinin.

Main Results:

• Dietary Se supplementation linearly increased whole blood Se concentrations.
• No significant differences in weight gain, feed consumption, or feed efficiency were observed across diets.
• While a trend towards higher antibody response was noted with 0.9 mg/kg Se, neither humoral nor cell-mediated immunity showed significant improvement.
• Dermal responses to phytohemagglutinin were not significantly different among treatment groups.

Conclusions:

• Supplementing swine diets with 0.3 to 1.5 mg/kg Se did not significantly enhance growth performance or immune responses.
• Increased blood Se concentrations did not correlate with improved humoral or cell-mediated immunity in this study.
• Further research may be needed to establish the precise role and optimal levels of Se for swine immunity.