Effect of vitamin E and A on humoral immunity and phagocytosis in E. coli infected chicken.
Dietary supplementation of either vitamin E (300 mg./kg. diet) or vitamin A (60,000 I.U./kg. diet) significantly reduced E. coli caused mortality, but the combination of the two vitamins did not. Protection was attributed to increased antibody production and increased phagocytosis, although neither factor alone gave a significant correlation with mortality. Vitamin E level significantly increased especially in the spleen of supplemented chicks, but vitamin A suppressed this increase, partially explaining the lack of protection in vitamin E and A supplemented chicks.
D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002060:Bursa of Fabricius / Q000378:metabolism; D002645:Chickens / Q000276:immunology*; D004336:Drug Antagonism; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011458:Prostaglandins E / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013154:Spleen / Q000378:metabolism; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*
D011458:Prostaglandins E; D014801:Vitamin A; D014810:Vitamin E