Trace mineral concentrations in dairy cattle with rupture of abdominal artery aneurysms.

Rupture of abdominal artery aneurysm (AAA) in cattle is sporadic and typically affects adult Holstein dairy cows. In this retrospective study, liver concentrations of copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), sulfur (S), and zinc (Zn) were evaluated using inductively coupled plasma atomic-emission spectroscopy. Up to three liver sample types (fresh/frozen, fixed, or paraffin embedded) were collected from 22 affected adult Holstein dairy cows (36 samples) and nine similarly aged control Holstein cows with histologically normal vessels that died from other causes (25 samples). There was no significant difference in the liver concentrations of Cu, Mn, S, and Zn between groups for any tissue sample type (all ~0.022; alpha=0.017). Liver Fe concentrations were lower in the affected animals for all tissue sample types (P~0.0067). Liver Fe concentrations were measured in 11 additional cattle that were exsanguinated at slaughter to determine if exsanguination results in low liver Fe concentrations. There was no significant difference between liver Fe concentrations in cattle with ruptured AAAs versus cattle that were exsanguinated, but both were significantly different from cattle that died from other causes (P=0.0066). This study found no significant differences in liver Cu, Mn, S, and Zn in cattle that died from AAA rupture compared to cattle that died from other causes. Significantly lower liver Fe concentrations in cattle that died from AAA rupture were apparently due to exsanguination.