title: Effect of dietary level of methionine on growth performance and immune response in Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Methionine (Met) being the first limiting amino acid in maize/soybean-based quail diets, its supplementation provides scope for improvement of protein quality and reduction of dietary protein concentration. The question remains to what extent it can be incorporated in the diet of genetically improved quails. Therefore the effect of dietary Met level was assessed on growth performance and immune response in growing Japanese quails (n = 400) divided equally into 20 groups. Five dietary treatments (approximately 230 g kg(-1) crude protein and 12.14 MJ kg(-1) metabolisable energy) were formulated with 3.5, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5 and 6.0 g kg(-1) Met respectively, and each was offered to four groups of birds from 0 to 35 days of age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Live weight at day 35 increased (P < 0.0001) up to 5.0 g kg(-1) dietary Met level but did not improve further at higher Met levels (5.5 and 6.0 g kg(-1)). Improved (P < 0.039) feed conversion ratio was achieved at 5.5 g kg(-1) Met level, which was statistically similar to that at 5.0 g kg(-1) Met level during 0-14 days of age. Cellular (phytohaemagglutinin from Phaseolus vulgaris) immune response increased (P < 0.0001) with increasing dietary Met concentration, whereas humoral (sheep red blood cells) immune response did not differ.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The optimal requirement of Met was 5.0 g kg(-1) for growth and 5.5 g kg(-1) for maximum cellular immune response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, MJP Rohilkhand University, Bareilly 243 006, India. ranaparvin 1@yahoo.co.in
authors.forename: Rana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Parvin
authors.forename: Asit B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Mandal
authors.forename: Satyendra M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Rakesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Thakur
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects*; D003370:Coturnix / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology*; D004032:Diet; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000592:standards; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D006388:Hemagglutinins / Q000378:metabolism; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects*; D008715:Methionine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D027805:Phaseolus; D012756:Sheep
chemical_list: D004044:Dietary Proteins; D006388:Hemagglutinins; D008715:Methionine