Variations in the concentration of zinc in the blood of Icelandic horses.

This research delves into the varying concentrations of zinc found in the blood of Icelandic horses, highlighting significant differences that exist due to factors like the farm environment and certain health conditions like summer seasonal recurrent dermatitis, while meticulously underlining the lack of correlation between the concentration levels in plasma, whole blood, and blood cells.

Research Objective and Methodology

• The primary aim of this study was to investigate the implications of various factors, namely the farm environment, the sex and age of Icelandic horses, and the presence of ‘sweet itch’, or summer seasonal recurrent dermatitis, on the levels of zinc observed in the plasma, whole blood and blood cells.
• 104 Icelandic horses across various farms were considered for this study. The zinc concentration was studied in different components of the blood, including plasma, whole blood, and blood cells.

Key Findings

• The concentration of Zinc varied significantly in plasma among horses from different farms. The variance is statistically significant (P<0.01), suggesting that the farm environment plays a substantial role in determining plasma zinc levels.
• Contrarily, the zinc concentration in both whole blood and blood cells remained unaffected by the variations in farm, horse’s sex and age, or the presence of sweet itch.
• Zinc concentration in blood cells was significantly, nearly 10.5 times, higher than that in the plasma. However, no correlation was found between zinc concentration in plasma and that in whole blood or blood cells.
• The proportion of whole blood zinc present in the plasma, or relative plasma zinc, varied from 9% to 24%, showing significant variability.
• This variability of relative plasma zinc was significantly influenced (P<0.05) by an interacting trio – the farm environment, the sex of the horse, and the existence of sweet itch.
• Statistical analysis of correlation revealed a positive correlation (r=0.78, P<0.001) between relative plasma zinc and absolute plasma zinc. On the other hand, negative correlations were spotted with whole blood zinc (r = -0.58, P<0.001) and blood cellular zinc (r = -0.71, P<0.001).

Implications of the Study

• The study’s findings are significant for the horse breeders and vets, as it throws light on the farm environment’s role in determining zinc levels in plasma and exposes the complex relationship between various blood components’ zinc concentrations in horses.
• It also emphasizes the impacts of factors like sex and presence of health conditions like sweet itch on the variability of relative plasma zinc.