Dietary protein and yolk sac inoculation with Escherichia coli in young turkeys

• Published in: Poultry science 1985-07, Vol.64 (7), p.1343-1349
• Main Authors: Schmidt, G.P, Domermuth, C.H, Potter, L.M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: alpha-Glucosidases - metabolism; Animals; Body Weight; Chickens - metabolism; DIETARY PROTEINS; Dietary Proteins - metabolism; DINDON; Dipeptidases - metabolism; EGG YOLKS; Energy Metabolism; ESCHERICHIA; ESCHERICHIA COLI; Escherichia coli Infections - metabolism; Escherichia coli Infections - mortality; Escherichia coli Infections - veterinary; Female; INOCULACION; INOCULATION; Intestinal Mucosa - enzymology; Intestine, Small - enzymology; Male; PAVO; Poultry Diseases - metabolism; Poultry Diseases - mortality; TURKEYS; VITELLUS; YEMA DE HUEVO; Yolk Sac - microbiology
• ISSN: 0032-5791; 1525-3171
• DOI: 10.3382/ps.0641343

An experiment was conducted to examine the effect of pathogenic Escherichia coli inoculated into the yolk sac of day-old turkeys. Escherichia coli was isolated from the yolk sac of stunted poults and inoculated directly into the yolk sac of day-old birds. Poults were administered either .1 ml of uninoculated sterile Todd-Hewitt broth or .1 ml of a 10(-3) or 10(-2) dilution of a 24-hr E. coli culture containing 3.4 X 10(8) viable bacteria/ml. In addition, poults were fed either 28 or 22% protein diets from 0 to 21 days of age to form a 3 X 2 factorial arrangement. Body weight gain and feed consumption were measured weekly, and dry matter and protein retention and nitrogen-corrected metabolizable energy were measured from 7 to 10 and 17 to 20 days postinoculation. Intestinal mucosal dipeptidase and maltase activities were determined at 21 days of age. Average mortality by 7 days of age was increased from 1 to 36% from the E. coli inoculation of the yolk sac. Escherichia coli significantly depressed body weight gain and feed consumption 27 and 30, 13 and 16, and 6 and 8%, respectively, during the first, second, and third weeks of the experiment but failed to affect feed efficiency. Feeding a 28% protein diet alleviated the depression in feed consumption and body weight gain to some extent compared with a substantial depression at 22% protein. Nitrogen content and gross energy of the excreta were increased by both dilutions of E. coli for the 7 to 10-day period; this was indicative of a malabsorption of nutrients.