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Hypocuprosis of Cattle in the Argentine

Abstract

HYPOCUPROSIS in cattle is defined by low concentrations of copper in the liver1–3 or in the blood2,4,5 or other tissues5 and is usually associated with some general external symptoms such as unthriftiness, diarrhoea and depigmentation of the hair4. Anaemia is sometimes, but not always, present. The levels of copper in the tissues which have come to be regarded as diagnostic of hypocuprosis are for the blood less than 0.70 γ per ml.4,5 and for the liver less than about 30 (refs. 1 and 6) p.p.m. dry-weight; the severity of the condition increases as the tissue concentrations of copper fall below these thresholds, until at levels of 6 p.p.m. dry-weight of copper in the liver, sudden death in cattle has been recorded2.

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BINGLEY, J., CARRILLO, B. Hypocuprosis of Cattle in the Argentine. Nature 209, 834–835 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/209834a0

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