Absorption of methionine and 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutoanic acid in conventional and germ-free chickens

Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon SK Canada S7N 5A8. drew@sask.usask.ca

The apparent absorption of 3H-labeled L-Met and L-2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutoanic acid (MHA-FA) was compared in germ-free and conventional broiler chickens to determine the effect of intestinal bacteria on the absorption of Met and MHA-FA. The two diets contained 0.236% of added Met or MHA-FA. Nineteen germ-free birds were maintained in two isolators and fed diets that had been sterilized by gamma irradiation (50 kilogreys). Nineteen conventional birds were reared in batteries and received nonirradiated feed. Diets were fed ad libitum for 3 wk. On d 21 of the experiment, the birds fasted overnight and were refed the experimental diets to which 1.11 x 10(7) Bq of 1-[methyl3H]MHA-FA or 1-[methyl3H]Met/kg of feed had been added. 51CrCl3 (1.11 x 10(7) Bq/kg of feed) was added as an indigestible marker. After 3 h the birds were euthanized, and their intestinal tracts were removed and partitioned into six sections. Residual Met and MHA-FA in digesta were calculated as the ratio of 3H:51Cr in each sample divided by the ratio of 3H:51Cr in the feed. The residual MHA-FA in the distal ileum of germ-free broilers was lower than in conventional birds (4.7 and 10.2% respectively; P < 0.05). In contrast the residual Met in the distal ileum of germ-free broilers was not different than in conventional birds (3.0 and 3.7% respectively; P > 0.05). This study demonstrates that intestinal bacteria significantly reduce the apparent absorption of MHA-FA from the intestinal tract of broiler chickens.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Yegani and D. R. Korver Factors Affecting Intestinal Health in Poultry Poult. Sci., October 1, 2008; 87(10): 2052 - 2063. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. E A Forder, G. A Firth, D. R Tivey, G. S Howarth, and R. J Hughes A small-scale, low-cost isolation system for the incubation and rearing of low bacterial load chicks as a model to study microbial-intestinal interactions Lab Anim, April 1, 2008; 42(2): 185 - 192. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. P. Dahiya, D. Hoehler, A. G. Van Kessel, and M. D. Drew Effect of Different Dietary Methionine Sources on Intestinal Microbial Populations in Broiler Chickens Poult. Sci., November 1, 2007; 86(11): 2358 - 2366. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. E. A. Forder, G. S. Howarth, D. R. Tivey, and R. J. Hughes Bacterial Modulation of Small Intestinal Goblet Cells and Mucin Composition During Early Posthatch Development of Poultry Poult. Sci., November 1, 2007; 86(11): 2396 - 2403. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Xie, S. S. Hou, W. Huang, and H. P. Fan Effect of Excess Methionine and Methionine Hydroxy Analogue on Growth Performance and Plasma Homocysteine of Growing Pekin Ducks Poult. Sci., September 1, 2007; 86(9): 1995 - 1999. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Hoehler Letter: A Misleading Approach to Determine the Methionine Activity of Organic Trace Minerals Poult. Sci., August 1, 2007; 86(8): 1611 - 1612. [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. P. Dahiya, D. Hoehler, A. G. Van Kessel, and M. D. Drew Dietary Encapsulated Glycine Influences Clostridium perfringens and Lactobacilli Growth in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Broiler Chickens J. Nutr., June 1, 2007; 137(6): 1408 - 1414. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. G. Kim, M. D. Lindemann, M. Rademacher, J. J. Brennan, and G. L. Cromwell Efficacy of DL-methionine hydroxy analog free acid and DL-methionine as methionine sources for pigs J Anim Sci, January 1, 2006; 84(1): 104 - 111. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]