The Thymus Gland as a Nutritional Status Indicator in Deer

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The thymus glands from upper Michigan [USA] white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were examined to determine a cyclic growth pattern and possible deviations due to nutritional factors. Data from free-roaming animals revealed that in fawns this gland reached maximum size during Sept. and Oct. and was smallest in Jan. and Feb. Among older deer, thymus weight peaked in June and July, with minimal levels from Nov. through April. Experiments on penned fawns showed that inadequate nutrition in autumn resulted in much smaller glands by mid-Dec. compared to animals on high diet. Data indicated that regrowth of the involuted thymus in spring was appreciably delayed by nutritional deprivation. Findings suggest that the periodicity and amplitude of variations in thymus weight of fawns provide a means of evaluating differences in their dietary plane on a seasonal and regional basis. A model is presented which illustrates the prospective relationships between thymic size and current nutritional state of deer from autumn through spring.

This publication has 5 references indexed in Scilit: