Changes in body weight and intestinal absorption during infections with Eimeria acervulina in the chicken

Abstract

Heavy infections of E. acervulina result in a depression in body weight of the host, but anorexia induced by the disease is not the only factor responsible for this, since normal birds starved to the same extent did not lose as much weight. It was shown that the absorption of l-histidine and glucose from the infected part of the small intestine was depressed and may be a contributory factor to this weight loss; restricted feed intake alone tended to increase, rather than decrease, absorption.