Micro Minerals in Animal Production and Health , Zinc, Manganese, Cobalt, Selenium

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. Which mineral is essential for the synthesis of vitamin B₁₂ in ruminants?
a) Zinc
b) Selenium
c) Manganese
d) Cobalt
Answer: d) Cobalt

2. What is the primary symptom of zinc deficiency in pigs?
a) Perosis
b) Parakeratosis
c) White muscle disease
d) Skeletal abnormalities
Answer: b) Parakeratosis

3. Which enzyme is activated by selenium?
a) Lactate dehydrogenase
b) Carbonic anhydrase
c) Glutathione peroxidase
d) Tyrosinase
Answer: c) Glutathione peroxidase

4. What condition in chicks is caused by manganese deficiency?
a) Mulberry heart disease
b) Perosis
c) Wasting disease
d) Parakeratosis
Answer: b) Perosis

5. Which deficiency symptom is associated with selenium in cattle and lambs?
a) Nutritional chondrodystrophy
b) Stiff lamb disease
c) Parakeratosis
d) Frizzled feathers
Answer: b) Stiff lamb disease

6. What are the main sources of zinc in animal diets?
a) Fishmeal, yeast, cereal bran
b) Green forages, rice bran, wheat bran
c) Salt licks, mineral mixtures, cobalt bullets
d) Sodium selenite, fishmeal, seleno-methionine
Answer: a) Fishmeal, yeast, cereal bran

7. Which mineral deficiency leads to “white muscle disease”?
a) Zinc
b) Manganese
c) Selenium
d) Cobalt
Answer: c) Selenium

8. What toxic condition results from excessive selenium intake?
a) Parakeratosis
b) Alkali disease
c) Wasting disease
d) Perosis
Answer: b) Alkali disease

9. What is a common symptom of cobalt deficiency in ruminants?
a) Skeletal abnormalities
b) Wasting disease
c) Perosis
d) Stiff joints
Answer: b) Wasting disease

10. Which mineral deficiency causes swollen joints and parakeratosis in calves?
a) Zinc
b) Manganese
c) Selenium
d) Cobalt
Answer: a) Zinc

True or False

1. Manganese is essential for mucopolysaccharide synthesis and promotes immunity.
Answer: True

2. Selenium works synergistically with vitamin E to enhance lipid membrane integrity.
Answer: True

3. Zinc deficiency in pigs is aggravated by low dietary calcium levels.
Answer: False

4. Cobalt is required by monogastrics for vitamin B₁₂ synthesis.
Answer: False

5. Selenium toxicity in grazing animals can lead to hoof deformities and hair loss.
Answer: True

Fill in the Blanks

1. The enzyme __________, activated by manganese, is essential for bone formation and energy metabolism.
Answer: pyruvate carboxylase

2. __________ deficiency in chicks causes perosis, characterized by enlarged hock joints and tendon displacement.
Answer: Manganese

3. Cobalt deficiency in ruminants leads to wasting disease, also known as __________ or __________.
Answer: Coast Disease, Enzootic Marasmus

4. Selenium deficiency can lead to __________ muscle disease in cattle and lambs, causing degeneration of skeletal muscles.
Answer: white

5. Zinc deficiency in pigs results in __________, a condition with skin eruptions and scabbing.
Answer: parakeratosis

Subjective Questions

1. Explain the functions of selenium in animal health and the symptoms of its deficiency and toxicity.
Answer:

• Functions:
  • Selenium is a component of glutathione peroxidase, which protects cell membranes from oxidative damage.
  • Works synergistically with vitamin E to enhance membrane integrity and immune response.
• Deficiency Symptoms:
  • Nutritional myopathy: White muscle disease, stiff lamb disease, and mulberry heart disease.
  • Symptoms include weak leg muscles, trembling gait, inability to rise, and cardiac failure in severe cases.
• Toxicity Symptoms:
  • Chronic selenium toxicity causes alkali disease (stiff joints, hair loss, hoof deformities).
  • Acute toxicity leads to respiratory failure and death.

2. Discuss the role of zinc in enzyme activation and describe its deficiency symptoms in different animals.
Answer:

• Role in Enzyme Activation:
  • Zinc activates enzymes such as carbonic anhydrase, pancreatic carboxypeptidase, and lactate dehydrogenase, which are critical for metabolic functions.
• Deficiency Symptoms:
  • General: Poor growth, depressed appetite, and reproductive disorders.
  • In chicks: Retarded growth, frizzled feathers, foot abnormalities, and swollen hock joints.
  • In calves: Inflammation of the nose and mouth, stiff joints, swollen feet, and parakeratosis.
  • In pigs: Parakeratosis, characterized by skin eruptions, scabbing, and reddening.