Osmotic and oxidative haemolysis of erythrocytes in calves with white muscle disease.

The stability of erythrocytes to both osmotic and oxidative haemolysis was studied in naturally occuring cases of white muscle disease of calves two to 14 weeks old. During clinical and subclinical disease the incidence of haemolysis when erythrocytes were exposed to 0-588 per cent NaCl was 74-3 +/-18-8 per cent and 76-6+/-18-6 per cent respectively, whereas in clinically healthy animals receiving 30 mg vitamin E per kg feedstuff the incidence of haemolysis was only 55-9+/-12-7 per cent. Erythrocytes of the calves receiving vitamin E supplements were completely resistent to peroxidative haemolysis whereas in the clinical and preclinical cases approximately 12-5 per cent of cells were lysed.