Potassium Deficiency of Chicks and Rats fed Bacteria Grown on Methanol

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Abstract
One-hundred and ninety-two one-day-old White Leghorn male chicks and 16 Wister-strain weanling male rats were fed diets containing bacteria or yeast grown on methanol or casein-amino acid mixture as a sole source of protein with various treatment or supplementation.Feed intake of rats fed the bacteria diet and of chicks fed the diet with or without supplementation of selenium or fortification of lard and cellulose was about half of that fed the yeast diet as control. The former chicks gained only 1-3g or rather lost body weight during initial 6-7 days. Body weight of the former rats was about half of that of the latter, and 2 rats out of 8 died within 24 days of experimental period.Extracts of bacteria by either urea solution or ethylene glycol added to the yeast diet had little effect to depress both feed intake and body weight. The corresponding residues fed in place of bacteria improved feed intake and body weight. The findings revealed absence of endotoxin, which could be easily extracted by urea or glycol, in the bacteria.Feed intake and body weight gain of the chicks fed either the casein-mixture diet or bacteria diet were improved in proportion to dietary level of supplemental potassium.Potassium content of 3 samples of bacteria was much lower than that of 4 samples of yeast. It was concluded that low appetite of chicks and rats, resulting in slow growth and death, was due to lack of potassium in the bacteria diet.

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