title: Effect of oral Escherichia coli inoculation on performance of young turkeys.
abstract: A strain of Escherichia coli isolated from the yolk sac of stunted turkey poults was administered orally to day-old large white poults. Poults were inoculated with either 0.1 ml of sterile broth or 0.1 ml of a 10(-2) dilution of a 24-hr E. coli culture containing 3.4 x 10(8) viable bacteria per ml. Two levels of dietary protein (28 or 22%) were fed from 1 day to 3 weeks of age. Following E. coli inoculation of 3.4 x 10(5) viable bacteria at day one, body weight gain and feed consumption from 0 to 3 weeks of age were numerically increased 4.5 and 2.1%, respectively, and feed efficiency was significantly increased 2.4%. E. coli had a greater effect on performance of poults fed the 28% protein diet than on poults fed the 22% protein diet. Metabolism studies, conducted from 7 to 10 and from 17 to 20 days postinoculation, showed no significant changes in the measurements of nutrient utilization due to E. coli other than a 17% increase in nitrogen retention from 17 to 20 days by those poults fed the 28% protein diet.
authors.affiliation: Department of Poultry Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg 24061.
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Domermuth
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Potter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D004435:Eating; D004926:Escherichia coli; D005260:Female; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D014422:Turkeys / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000382:microbiology*