EFFECT OF DEFICIENCY IN ANIMALS 



Birds and Fish 



As already noted (page 212), in the early days of research on the 

 PP-factor, chickens on a nicotinic acid-deficient diet were observed to 

 lose weight and develop a form of dermatitis/^ but subsequent in- 

 vestigations showed that the factor mainly responsible for these 

 symptoms was pantothenic acid, not nicotinic acid. Nevertheless, 

 chickens do suffer from deficiency symptoms when nicotinic acid is 

 absent from their diet ; the growth rate decreased, feather formation 

 was defective, and sometimes perosis and dermatitis developed. ^^ 

 Chickens appear able to synthesise about one-sixth of their nicotinic 

 acid requirements. 



The growth of chicks was reduced by adding 10 % of gelatine to 

 the diet, the inhibitory effect being neutralised by the addition of 

 5 mg. of nicotinic acid or 200 mg. of DL-tryptophan per 100 g. of diet. 

 These supplements prevented blacktongue, which occurred on the 

 gelatine diet.^® 



Nicotinic acid deficiency in ducklings was characterised by lack 

 of growth, diarrhoea and general weakness. ^o It was produced by 

 feeding either purified diets low in nicotinic acid or diets containing 

 large amounts of maize. 



Turkeys on a highly purified diet, deficient only in nicotinic acid, 

 exhibited poor growth and feathering, inflammation of the mouth, low 

 food consumption, diarrhoea and perosis. 2i» 22 ^n ^j^^ symptoms 

 were prevented by the addition of 50 mg. of nicotinic acid per kg. of 

 ration. 



In chicks, Plasmodium lophurae infection was aggravated by nico- 

 tinic acid deficiency,^^ whereas this did not affect the symptoms in 

 infected ducks, these presimiably being more susceptible to the infec- 

 tion than chicks. 



Nicotinic acid was also essential for the growth of young rainbow 

 trout (Salmo gairdneri irideus)}^ In the absence of this vitamin the 

 fish developed swollen gills ; these were prevented by the addition of 

 o-i to 0-5 mg. of nicotinic acid per 100 g. of diet. 



References to Section 7 



1. W. A. Krehl, P. S. Sarma, L. J. Teply and C. A. Elvehjem, J. 



Nutrition, 1946, 31, 85. 



2. W. J. Dann, /. Biol. Chem., 1941, 141, 803. 



3. J. M. Hundley, /. Nutrition^ I947. 34, 253. 



4. P. Handler and W. J. Dann, /. Biol. Chem., 1942, 146, 357 ; P. P. 



Foa, N. L. Foa and H. Field, Arch. Biochem., 1945, 6, 215. 



5. P. B. Pearson and R. W. Luecke, ibid., 63. 



6. B. C. Johnson, A. C. Wiese, H. H. Mitchell and W. B. Nevens, 



J. Biol. Chem., 1947, 167, 729. 



239 



