Urea has long been considered to be meta- bolically inert. However, recent studies with isotopic urea in several species of animals have revealed that urea is hydrolyzed in the alimentary tract even when administered parenterally (1-5). This breakdown is presumably due to the action of bacterial urease, since urea metabolism can be eliminated or reduced to negligible proportions by the administration of antibiotics.
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Walser et al. (1959) studied this question.
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