title: Effect of Newcastle disease virus infection on vitamin A metabolism in chickens.
abstract: The effect of Newcastle disease virus (NDV, La Sota strain) infection on vitamin A metabolism was investigated in chickens maintained on normal or marginal vitamin A intake. NDV, a virus of the Paramyxoviridae family that primarily affects epithelial tissue, was administered at 4 wk of age. Plasma levels of retinol, retinol-binding protein and, to a lesser extent, transthyretin were found to be significantly lower during both the acute and postacute phases of infection in chickens fed a diet marginally deficient in vitamin A compared to noninfected birds fed the same diet, while vitamin A content in liver was unaffected. However, in chickens fed adequate vitamin A, NDV infection did not influence the parameters measured. Levels of retinol-binding protein in liver were significantly increased by inadequate vitamin A nutriture, but infection partly reduced this increase. The results suggest that the reduced vitamin A status in marginally vitamin A-deficient chickens infected with NDV can be attributed to a combination of a direct effect of the virus on retinol-binding protein metabolism in liver and an increased rate of utilization and catabolism of retinol and retinol-binding protein by extrahepatic tissues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Nutrition, Wageningen Agricultural University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Sijtsma
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: West
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Rombout
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Van der Zijpp
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000378:metabolism*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D008099:Liver / Q000032:analysis; D009521:Newcastle Disease / Q000378:metabolism*; D011228:Prealbumin / Q000097:blood; D012177:Retinol-Binding Proteins / Q000097:blood; D054839:Retinol-Binding Proteins, Plasma; D013997:Time Factors; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011228:Prealbumin; D012177:Retinol-Binding Proteins; D054839:Retinol-Binding Proteins, Plasma; D014801:Vitamin A