Effect of Antibiotics, Synthetic Vitamins, Vitamin B12 and an APF Supplement on Chick Growth

Abstract

Stokstad et al. (1949) reported that the animal protein factor was multiple in nature and evidence was presented showing that a whole fermented mash resulting from the growth of Streptomyces aureofaciens in deep aerobic culture contained an unidentified chick growth factor(s). Since the fermentation product Stokstad et al. employed was a whole mash it occurred to us that this material may have contained significant quantities of the antibiotic aureomycin which conceivably could have influenced growth in a profound manner. The concept of antibiotics playing a role in the growth effect was brought to mind by the report of Moore et al. (1946) who showed that the feeding of streptomycin or sulfasuxidine to chicks on purified diets resulted in greatly accelerated growth. The present study therefore was undertaken to determine the effect of antibiotics on chick growth and to ascertain whether such activity might explain, in part at least, the growth . . .