Association of sulfate-water and blood thiamine concentration in beef cattle: Field studies
A population study was undertaken to survey the distribution of sulfate levels in water and thiamine status of beef cattle on Saskatchewan farms. Fifty farms took part in this study. The sampled animals represented all major breeds raised in Saskatchewan. The sulfate content in drinking water varied greatly across the province ranging from 70 to 3200 ppm. Approximately 43% of the farms from southern and central parts of the province had water with sulfate concentration exceeding 1000 ppm. The concentration of blood thiamine was (mean ± SD) 24.9 ± 10.1 μg L−1. Subsequently, a comparative study was undertaken to examine the relationship between high sulfate in the drinking water and blood thiamine concentration in feedlot cattle. The farms with high (> 1000 ppm) and low (< 200) levels of sulfate in the water were used for the comparative study. Blood thiamine concentrations differed (P < 0.0001) between beef cattle drinking low sulfate-water and those drinking high sulfate-water and were 47.3 ± 9.8 and 37.9 ± 12.4 μg L−1 respectively. It was concluded from this study that a high concentration of sulfate in the drinking water has a detrimental effect on blood thiamine status. A subpopulation of beef cattle in Saskatchewan may be marginally deficient or deficient in thiamine. Key words: Water, sulfate, cattle, blood, thiamine, deficiency