The gut microflora and the uptake of glucose from the small intestine of the chick

Abstract

1. Chicks whose growth rate had been depressed either by a fully conventional flora or by association with a bile acid deconjugating strain of Streptococcus faecium and/or a filterable agent from chicken droppings showed no significant reduction in uptake of 3-0-methyl-alpha-D-glucopyranose compared with germ-free birds. 2. Association with a microflora increased the weight of the gut per unit length.