Fat Absorption by Germ-Free Chicks

INTRODUCTION LITTLE information is available on the effect of intestinal flora on absorption of fat. Luckey (1963) reported that germ-free rats retained 96.8% of the fat from a synthetic diet containing 6.8% corn oil, but no data were given for the retention of fat or specific fatty acids from these diets by conventionally reared rats. Young et al. (1963) found that fatty acids were absorbed better by chicks when reared in a fumigated laboratory or when fed antibiotics than in a contaminated environment. This environmental effect on growth rate and requirement was also reported by Edwards and Boyd (1963a, b) for magnesium, phosphorus and calcium. The experiments described here were performed to compare the relative retentions of the major fatty acids of two diets by germ-free and conventionalized chicks. EXPERIMENTAL Four plastic germ-free isolators were employed with 2 cages, each containing 6 chicks, in each isolator. Operational procedures for the . . .