Abstract
Background: Nutrition and health are closely connected, meaning that a lack of proper nutrition will adversely affect the health and immune function of sheep.
Aim: The goal of the current study was to ascertain how sheep's mineral deficiencies affected their immune systems and general health in the New Valley Governorate of Egypt.
Methods: For this investigation, forty (40) sheep (2–3 years old) were used. These animals were split into two groups: twenty sheep in the control group (apparently healthy sheep) and twenty sheep in the diseased group, deficient in minerals and had varying degrees of alopecia, emaciation, lameness, diarrhea, anorexia, and body weight loss.
Results: The results indicated there was a significant (P<0.05) reduction of serum Cu, Zn, Fe, Mg, Ca, and P in diseased sheep in comparison to the control one. Additionally, there was a significant decrease in the levels of Hb and RBCs when compared to those of the control group. Furthermore, there was a significant decrease in TP, ALB, and GLU while there was a significant increase in AST and ALT. Moreover, there was a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the serum concentrations of IL1, and IL6 in the diseased group concerning the control one. While there was a significant decrease in CAT, GSH, and SOD in the diseased group concerning control one.
Conclusion: It is concluded that minerals deficiency hurts the immunity of sheep since minerals are essential for the vital processes of the immune system. Also, antioxidant and immune markers could be a reference guide for limiting mineral deficiency in sheep. So, sheep flocks have to follow a diet that contains essential macro- and micro-minerals and not depend just on grazing as the main source of feed to achieve sheep health.

Key words: Mineral deficiency, Immune markers, Antioxidant markers, economic losses, breeding, malnutrition, biochemical indices, New Valley, Sheep.