Dietary Protein Levels as They Affect Blood Citric Acid Levels of Chicks Subjected to Certain Stresses

Abstract

BLOOD citric acid levels have been found to increase when chicks were subject to the stresses of cold, heat, or acute starvation. This increase is evidently under hormonal control since the administration of ACTH elicited the same response (Hill et al., 1961). This finding was of interest since it has been shown by Berry and Mitchell (1953), and Gilfillan et al. (1956) that compounds which block the citric acid cycle, and thus cause a rise in citric acid in the tissues of mice and chicks render these animals more susceptible to Salmonella infections.Increasing protein levels of the diet have also been shown to render chicks more susceptible to infection with Salmonella gallinarum (Hill and Garren, 1958.) This finding suggested the possibility that there might be an association between dietary protein levels and changes in the blood citric acid concentration due to ACTH or other stressors. The studies presented in…