White muscle disease in lambs is associated with deficiency of which nutrients?

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Multiple Choice

White muscle disease in lambs is associated with deficiency of which nutrients?

White muscle disease in lambs is caused by a deficiency of antioxidants, specifically selenium and vitamin E. Selenium is a key component of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase, which helps protect muscle cells from oxidative damage. Vitamin E works with selenium as a lipid-soluble antioxidant that guards cell membranes. When these nutrients are lacking, muscle fibers—especially in skeletal and cardiac muscles—suffer oxidative injury, leading to degeneration and the characteristic weakness and white-appearing muscle tissue. Neonatal lambs can show stiffness, poor suckling, and sometimes sudden death from heart muscle involvement. Preventing the condition involves supplementing selenium and vitamin E to pregnant ewes and newborn lambs through diet or injections. Other options don’t fit this condition: vitamin A deficiency affects vision and mucous membranes; calcium deficiency causes hypocalcemia (often around parturition in adults); potassium deficiency causes general weakness but not the specific muscle degeneration seen in white muscle disease.

White muscle disease in lambs is caused by a deficiency of antioxidants, specifically selenium and vitamin E. Selenium is a key component of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase, which helps protect muscle cells from oxidative damage. Vitamin E works with selenium as a lipid-soluble antioxidant that guards cell membranes. When these nutrients are lacking, muscle fibers—especially in skeletal and cardiac muscles—suffer oxidative injury, leading to degeneration and the characteristic weakness and white-appearing muscle tissue. Neonatal lambs can show stiffness, poor suckling, and sometimes sudden death from heart muscle involvement. Preventing the condition involves supplementing selenium and vitamin E to pregnant ewes and newborn lambs through diet or injections.

Other options don’t fit this condition: vitamin A deficiency affects vision and mucous membranes; calcium deficiency causes hypocalcemia (often around parturition in adults); potassium deficiency causes general weakness but not the specific muscle degeneration seen in white muscle disease.

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