Hipomagnesemia bovina en rodeos de cría: herramientas para abordar su control y prevención

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to carry out an bibliographic review on hypomagnesemia in breeding cattle. Magnesium -Mg- (from the Latin Magnesium) is the main intracellular cation and is a cofactor of the enzymes involved in most vital metabolic reactions. It is found abundantly in nature, always in combination with other elements. Despite this, there are several factors that interfere with its metabolism, mainly in its absorption at the digestive level. A Mg deficiency results in a condition of hypomagnesemia which, depending on the causes and the affected category, has different forms of presentation, but all manifest with nervous signs. There is no seasonal pattern of presentation of the pathology due to the different presentations and multiple predisposing causes. In relation to the production systems and the management carried out, many cattle are at potential risk of suffering from this dysmetaboly. However, there are few samples that reach diagnostic laboratories, so hypomagnesemia is underdiagnosed, added to the difficulty of making a presumptive diagnosis based solely on anamnesis and symptoms. It is of vital importance to make the definitive diagnosis of a clinical case with nervous symptoms due to the similarity with zoonotic pathologies such as Rabies and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. To prevent this pathology, it is essential to study and analyze the composition of the pastures offered and their phenological state, also the type of soil where the animals live, the quality of the drinking water they ingest and the presence of unfavorable environmental conditions (precipitation, frost, low heliophany, cloudy days) that can favor the presentation of Mg deficiency.