title: Measurement of malabsorption of carotenoids in chickens with pale-bird syndrome.
abstract: Because pale-bird syndrome (PBS), defined as the failure of birds to realize the color potential of their diet, has been demonstrated to be caused by malabsorption or by hyperexcretion of carotenoids, a method for measuring malabsorption of carotenoids would be useful. The absorption of dietary canthaxanthin, a red diketocarotenoid, into serum during aflatoxicosis was measured in an experiment with a 2 x 9 factorial arrangement of treatments (0 and 5 micrograms of aflatoxin/g of diet; serum collected at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 24 h after a standard meal fed to four groups of 10 3-wk-old birds). Serum canthaxanthin levels determined by HPLC attained plateau values between 8 and 14 h after the meal. The absorption of canthaxanthin was depressed significantly (P less than .05) in birds with aflatoxicosis from 4 to 24 h after feeding the standard meal. Four field flocks diagnosed as having PBS were tested for malabsorption by intubating 10 birds with a standard amount of canthaxanthin and measuring serum canthaxanthin 12 h later. One flock had about 85% normally pigmented birds and 15% extremely pale birds, the second flock had a coccidiosis history, the third had a Newcastle disease history, and the fourth had a history of both coccidiosis and Newcastle disease. The flocks were 5- to 6-wk-old, received feed of the same manufacture, and their disease outbreaks had occurred 2 wk earlier.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Poultry Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27695-7608.
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Tyczkowski
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Schaeffer
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Hamilton
mesh_terms: D000348:Aflatoxins / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000818:Animals; D016644:Canthaxanthin / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D002645:Chickens; D007408:Intestinal Absorption; D014975:Lutein / Q000097:blood; D008286:Malabsorption Syndromes / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D015651:Mycotoxicosis / Q000150:complications / Q000662:veterinary; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D024341:Xanthophylls; D065146:Zeaxanthins; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*
chemical_list: D000348:Aflatoxins; D024341:Xanthophylls; D065146:Zeaxanthins; D019207:beta Carotene; D002338:Carotenoids; D016644:Canthaxanthin; D014975:Lutein