E. L. Patterson

Effect of Selenium in Preventing Exudative Diathesis in Chicks

Summary (1) Chicks fed a diet containing torula yeast developed exudative diathesis which could be prevented by either vit. E or a non-fat soluble substance in casein and in a number of pork tissues. (2) This factor could be made water soluble by acid hydrolysis. It was adsorbed on both anion and cation exchange resins and thus behaved as an ampholyte. (3) An alkaline ash but not an acid ash of pork kidney was effective in preventing exudative diathesis. (4) Selenium as selenite prevented exudative diathesis at 0.3 ppm. Tellurium as tellurite was ineffective at 3 ppm. Anionic arsenic at 10 ppm was inactive.

Role of thioctic acid in chick nutrition.

Summary 1. Thioctic acid did not increase growth in chicks on purified type diets containing casein and glucose, or on a diet of natural foodstuffs. 2. The developing chick embryo synthesized thioctic acid. 3. A methionine deficiency in the chick did not decrease the level of thioctic acid in liver and heart tissues.

Effect of Certain Carbohydrates on Nutritional Requirements of Lactobacillus pentosus

Summary 1. L. pentosus, Strain 124-2, will grow on a synthetic medium containing L-arabinose as the carbohydrate source provided a small amount of glucose is added. 2. The supplement of glucose can be replaced by a liver extract. The active principle in the liver extract could not be separated by ion exchange on synthetic resins, charcoal adsorption or paper chromatography from the sugar present in the liver extract. The total activity in the liver extract could be accounted for as the sugar content. Glucosazone was isolated from an active fraction of liver extract.