Abstract
This investigation was conducted to study the effect of certain antibiotics on the enterococci counts and ammonia concentration in the intestinal contents of chicks, and to elucidate the relationship between the degradation of arginine by enterococci and the production of ammonia in the alimentary canal.
Enterococci counts in the crop, small intestine and cecum of chicks to 5 weeks of age were found to be reduced by the addition of penicillin to the diet (20p.p.m.). The ammonia concentration was also significantly reduced in the intestinal contents of chicks fed the penicillin supplemented diet. Furthermore, washed cell suspensions of enterococci isolated from various segments of intestine showed a marked and consistent activity to produce ammonia from L-arginine.
Data presented in this report show that the production of ammonia appeared to be associated with the arginine degradation by enterococci, and it seems probable that penicillin may inhibit the arginine degradation in the alimentary canal of chicks.
