Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T17:25:19.107Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Vitamin a Metabolism in Recessive White Canaries

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

P Wolf ,
T Bartels ,
H-P Sallmann ,
K Heisler  and
J Kamphues
P Wolf*
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Nutrition, The Hannover School of Veterinary Medicine, Bischofsholer Damm 15, D-30173 Hannover, Germany
H-P Sallmann
Affiliation:
Institute for Biochemistry, The Hannover School of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany
K Heisler
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Nutrition, The Hannover School of Veterinary Medicine, Bischofsholer Damm 15, D-30173 Hannover, Germany
J Kamphues
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Nutrition, The Hannover School of Veterinary Medicine, Bischofsholer Damm 15, D-30173 Hannover, Germany
*
† Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

In recent years, a possible defect in vitamin A metabolism in recessive white canaries (Serinus canaria,) has been repeatedly discussed. It has widely been accepted that a reduced absorption of carotenoids from the small intestine results in an insufficient synthesis of vitamin A. Moreover, the uptake of vitamin A from the lower intestine has also been discussed.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the utilization of ß-carotene and vitamin A by recessive white canaries (in comparison to coloured ones) as well as to quantify the accretion of vitamin A in the liver and vitamin A levels in plasma and fat tissues of canaries fed different doses of ß-carotene (≍ 6000iu vitamin A kg−1 diet) vs vitamin A (6000 or 18 000iu kg−1 diet).

The results were as follows:

  • i) coloured canaries supplied exclusively with ß-carotene maintained normal vitamin A levels in the liver. These data indicated that conversion rates of ß-carotene to vitamin A (as established for poultry) were appropriate;

  • ii) recessive white canaries were totally unable to utilize ß-carotene (based on vitamin A levels in blood, liver and fat);

  • iii) in comparison to coloured canaries, their efficiency in utilizing retinol was significantly lower. They needed three times the vitamin A intake of coloured canaries to achieve the same vitamin A levels in the liver;

  • iv) plasma vitamin A levels in coloured canaries did not reflect the vitamin A supply, but this blood level could be used to determine vitamin A status in recessive white birds.

Recommendations of vitamin A supplements for recessive white canaries should be given based on these data.

Keywords

animal welfareß-caroteneliverpet birdsrecessive white canariesvitamin A
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 9 , Issue 2 , May 2000 , pp. 153 - 165
Copyright
© 2000 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

Footnotes

2

Present address: Institute of Animal Breeding, University of Berne, Switzerland

References

Bauernfeind, J C 1972 Carotenoid vitamin A precursors and analogs in foods and feeds. Agriculture Food Chemistry 20: 456–473CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bielfeld, H 1991 Wellensittiche und Kanarien - Arten und Haltung. Buch und Zeit Verlagsgesellschaft: Cologne, GermanyGoogle Scholar
Biesalski, H K 1989 Vitamin A: indication and therapy. III: toxicity and teratogenity. VitaMinSpur 4: 55–65Google Scholar
Bishop, C and Taylor, T G 1963 Studies on the vitamin content of bird seeds. Veterinary Record 75: 688691Google Scholar
Blomhoff, R 1994 Transport and metabolism of vitamin A. Nutrition Review 52: S13–23CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blomhoff, R, Berg, T and Norum, K R 1987 Absorption, transport and storage of retinol. Chemical Society 27: 169–177Google Scholar
Brubacher, G B and Weiser, H 1985 The vitamin A activity of ß-carotene. International Journal of Vitamins and Nutrition Research 55: 5–15Google Scholar
Buddecke, E 1985 Outline of Biochemistry. De Gruyter: Berlin, New YorkGoogle Scholar
Donoghue, S 1993 Feeding parrots: nuts, seeds and extruded feeds. Veterinarian Technician 2: 104–117Google Scholar
Dorrestein, G M, Bitelaar, M, Van Der Hage, N M H and Zwart, P 1985 Evaluation of bacteriological and mycological examination of psittacine birds. Avian Diseases 29: 951–962CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dorrestein, G M and Kummerfeld, N 1995 Pet birds. In: Gabrisch, K and Zwart, P (eds) Krankheiten der Heimtiere. Schlütersche: Hannover, GermanyGoogle Scholar
Dorrestein, G M and Schrijver, J 1982 Een genetisch defect in de vitamine A huishouding van recessief witte kanaries. Tijdschrift voor Diergeneeskunde 107: 795–799Google Scholar
Dunker, H 1928 Genetic of canaries. Bibliography of Genetics 4: 37–140Google Scholar
Earle, K E and Clarke, N R 1991 The nutrition of the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus). Journal of Nutrition 121: 186–192CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Frame, B, Jackson, C E, Reynolds, W A and Humphrey, J E 1974 Hypercalcemia and skeletal effects in chronic hypervitaminosis A. Annual International Medicine Forum 80: 44–48CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ganguly, J, Krishnamurthy, S and Mahadevan, P 1959 The transport of carotenoids, vitamin A and cholesterol across the intestine of rats and chickens. Biochemistry 71: 756–762Google ScholarPubMed
Gazo, M, Sladka, O and Feldheim, W 1974 Contribution to toxicity of retinol preparations in chickens. Archiv für Geflügelkunde 38: 61–64Google Scholar
Gerlach, T, Biesalski, H K and Baessleri, K H 1988 Serum vitamin A-determination and its informative value for the vitamin A-status. Zeitschrift für Ernährungswissenschaften 27: 57–70CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goodman, D W S and Huang, H S 1966 Absorption and metabolism of ß-carotene and vitamin A. Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine 42: 408Google Scholar
Goodwin, T W 1986 Metabolism, nutrition and function of carotenoids. Annual Review of Nutrition 6: 273–297CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gropp, J M, Strahberger, S and Mehringer, U 1991 Excess vitamin A supply in quail and poultry chicks. In: Flachowsky G, Schone F and Henning A (eds) Vitamins and Further Additives in the Case of Human Being and Animal pp 18-23. 3rd Symposium, 26-27 September 1991 Jena, GermanyGoogle Scholar
Guldner, E 1978 Investigations on influence of over-proportioned vitamin A on the skeleton of the laying hen. Published DVM thesis, Berlin, GermanyGoogle Scholar
Hamdoon, A A and Rahman, A S 1990 A study on hypervitaminosis A in broiler chicken. Veterinary Medicine Journal Giza 38: 115–128Google Scholar
Hanck, A, Kuenzle, C and Rehm, W 1991 Vitamin A. Parey: Berlin, GermanyGoogle Scholar
Havivi, E and Guggenheim, K 1975 Effect of hypervitaminosis A on composition of chick cartilage. International Journal of Vitamins and Nutrition Research 45: 317–325Google Scholar
Heisler, K, Seekawer, K J and Sallmann, H P 1997 Vitamin contents in seeds, supplements and diets for pet birds. 1st International Symposium on Pet Bird Nutrition pp 49-50. 3-4 October 1997 Hannover, GermanyGoogle Scholar
Hook, E B 1987 Response to Teratology Society statement about the risk of excessive doses of vitamin A. Teratology 36: 143CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Isler, O 1971 Carotenoids. Birkhäuser: Basel, StuttgartCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kakkad, B P and Ong, D E 1988 Reduction of retinaldehyde bound to cellular retinol-binding protein (type II) by microsomes from rat small intestine. Journal of Biological Chemistry 263: 12916–12919CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kamphues, J 1995 Futterzusatzstoffe - auch aus klinischer Sicht für den Tierarzt von Interesse. Wiener Tierärztliche Monatsschrift 81: 86–92Google Scholar
Kastner, P, Mark, P M and Chambon, P 1995 Nonsteroid nuclear receptors: what are genetic studies telling us about their role in real life? Cell 83: 859–869CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Laitova, L 1981 Optimization of level of vitamin A in the feed for pheasants kept in aviaries. Zivocisna - Vyroba 26: 303–312Google Scholar
Landes, E 1994 The concentration of vitamin A in the liver of cattle and pigs. Übersichten zur Tierernährung 22: 281 -320Google Scholar
Mangelsdorf, D J 1994 Vitamin A receptors. Nutrition Review 52: S32–44CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mehringer, U 1987 A Contribution to the Hypervitaminosis A in Poultry. Published DVM thesis, Munich, GermanyGoogle Scholar
Mejia, L A 1986 Vitamin A - nutrient interrelationships. In: Bauernfeind C (ed) Vitamin A Deficiency and its Control pp 65-95. Academic Press, Inc: Orlando, USAGoogle Scholar
National Research Council 1984 Nutrient Requirements of Poultry, 8th edition. National Academy Press: Washington, USAGoogle Scholar
Ong, D E 1993 Retinoid metabolism during absorption. Journal of Nutrition 123: 351 -359CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ong, D E, Lucas, P C, Kakkad, B and Quick, TC 1991 Ontogeny of two vitamin A-metabolizing enzymes and two retinol-binding proteins present in the small intestine of the rat. Journal of Lipid Research 32: 1521–1527CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rabehl, N 1995 Investigations on Body Composition and its Development in Cage Birds of Different Species (Canaries, Budgerigars, Lovebirds, Cockatiels, Amazons and Grey Parrots). Published DVM thesis, Hannover, GermanyGoogle Scholar
Rabehl, N, Wolf, P and Kamphues, J 1996 The morphological and chemical body composition of cagebirds of different species. DVG-Tagungsband der X. Tagung über Vogelkrankheiten pp 1-9. 7-8 March 1996 Munich, GermanyGoogle Scholar
Richter, G, Lemser, A and Schone, F 1992 Vitamin A effectiveness of the ß-carotene in laying hens. Archiv für Geflügelkunde 56: 157–162Google Scholar
Richter, G, Lemser, A, Sitte, E and Ludke, C 1991 Investigations of vitamin A-requirement of chickens, youngs and laying hens. In: Flachowsky G, Schone F and Henning A (eds) Vitamins and Further Additives in the Case of Human Being and Animal pp 72-75. 3rd Symposium, 26-27 September 1991, Jena, GermanyGoogle Scholar
Ryan, T R 1988 Vitamin A and its deficiency in birds. Animal Practice 2: 35–37Google Scholar
Schweigert, F J 1988 ß-carotene metabolism of cattle and the influence of the fertility. Übersichten zur Tierernährung 16: 223–246Google Scholar
Schweigert, F J 1998 Vitamin A: metabolism, gene expression and embryonic development. Übersichten zur Tierernährung 26: 1–24Google Scholar
Skan, D, Yosefov, T and Friedman, A 1989 The effects of vitamin A, ß-carotene and canthaxanthin on vitamin A metabolism and immune responses in the chick. International Journal of Vitamins and Nutrition Research 59: 245–250Google Scholar
Sporn, M B, Roberts, A B and Goodman, D S 1984 The Retinoids, Volume 1 and 2. Academic Press Inc: Orlando, USAGoogle Scholar
Stam, J W E 1965 Een Onderzook naar de Vitamine A Behoefte bij de Duif. Published DVM thesis, Utrecht, The NetherlandsGoogle Scholar
Strahberger, S R 1990 Studies to the Vitamin A-Over-Supply in Quails and Cockerels. Published DVM thesis, Munich, GermanyGoogle Scholar
Wendler, C 1995 Investigations on Possibilities of Mineral Supply of Canaries (Serinus canaria,) with Commercially Available Feeds. Published DVM thesis, Hannover, GermanyGoogle Scholar
West, C E, Sijtsma, S R, Peters, H P F, Rombout, J and Van der Zijpp, A J 1992 Production of chickens with marginal vitamin A deficiency. British Journal of Nutrition 68: 283–291CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wolf, P and Kamphues, J 1992 Feed and water intake in canaries - influencing factors and dependences. Kleintierpraxis 37: 545–552Google Scholar
Wolf, P and Kamphues, J 1995 Nutrition of parrots - questions and answers. Annual for Parrot Owners Volume II pp 143-162. Westarp: Magdeburg, GermanyGoogle Scholar
Wolf, P and Kamphues, J 1997 Water intake of pet birds - basic data and influencing factors. Übersichten zur Tierernährung 25: 223–224Google Scholar
Wolf, P, Rabehl, N and Kamphues, J 1995 Investigations on body composition of different species of adult pet birds. Proceedings of the Society of Nutrition and Physiology 4: 57Google Scholar
Zinke, A, Wolf, P and Kummerfeld, N 1999 Post-prandial levels and diagnostic value of plasma bile acid concentrations in parrots. Kleintierpraxis 44: 181–196Google Scholar
Zwart, P 1978 Vitamin A-lack and stomatitis in parrots. Praktischer Tierarzt 59: 121–125Google Scholar
Zwart, P, Schreurs, W H P and Dorrestein, G M 1979 Vitamin A deficiency in parrots. In: Illnesses of the Zoo Animals. Proceedings of the XXIst International Symposium pp 47-52. 13-17 June 1979 Mulhouse, FranceCrossRefGoogle Scholar