Dietary supplementation of Ascophylum nodosum improved kidney function of mink challenged with Aleutian mink disease vir
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
Dietary supplementation of Ascophylum nodosum improved kidney function of mink challenged with Aleutian mink disease virus A. Hossain Farid1*
and Nancy J. Smith2,3
Abstract Background: Feed additives which can ease the negative effects of infection by the Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV) are of interest to mink farmers. The effects of kelp meal (Ascophylum nodosum) supplementation on immune response, virus replication and blood parameters of mink inoculated with AMDV were assessed. AMDV-free black mink (n = 75) were intranasally inoculated with a local strain of AMDV and fed a commercial pellet supplemented with kelp meal at the rates of 1.5% or 0.75% of the feed or were kept as controls (no kelp) for 451 days. Blood was collected on days 0 (pre-inoculation), 31, 56, 99, 155, 366 and 451 post-inoculation (dpi). Results: No significant difference was observed among the treatments for the proportion of animals positive for antibodies against the virus measured by the counter-immunoelectrophoresis (CIEP), viremia measured by PCR, antibody titer measured by quantitative ELISA, total serum protein measured by a refractometer or elevated levels of gamma globulin measured by iodine agglutination test at the sampling occasions. At the termination of the experiment on 451 dpi, there were no differences among treatments for antibody titer measured by CIEP, total serum protein, albumin, globulins, albumin:globulin ratio, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, and proportions of PCR positive spleen, lymph node or bone marrow samples, but blood urea nitrogen and creatine levels were significantly lower in the 1.5% kelp supplemented group than in the controls. Conclusion: Kelp supplementation improved kidney function of mink infected with AMDV with no effect on liver function, immune response to infection by AMDV or virus replication. Keywords: Aleutian mink disease virus; American mink, Ascophylum nodosum, Kidney function, Serum profile
Background AMDV causes a serious health problem for farmed mink globally. Infected mink show persistent antiviral antibody production, hypergammaglobulinemia, general plasmacytosis and progressive renal disease, leading to death in some mink [1]. The virus is very resilient and remains infectious in composted materials [2]. AD has no cure or a vaccine [3], and almost 40 years of elimination of seropositive animals from herds has not been * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Department of Animal Science and Aquaculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, Nova Scotia B2N 5E3, Canada Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
effective in controlling the infection on many farms in Canada [4] and other countries [5]. Consequently, selection of mink for tolerance to AMDV has gained popularity in Canada and some other countries in recent years. Keeping infected mink to evaluate their degree of tolerance increases mortality during the initial phases of this undertaking. Any treatment that can improve the health
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