Pantothenic Acid Deficiency in Pigs Fed Diets of Natural Feedstuffs

Abstract

A basal ration of corn, casein, soybean oil meal and minerals contained insufficient pantothenic acid to prevent symptoms of locomotor incoordination and myelin degeneration from appearing. When the same ration was supplemented with calcium pantothenate good growth was obtained as well as an increased efficiency of food utilization. Symptoms of locomotor incoordination did not appear until the seventh week of the experiment. Severe diarrhea followed by locomotor incoordination was obtained when the pigs were fed a basal ration of corn, casein and minerals. The possible reasons for the more severe symptoms of pantothenic acid deficiency in the second experiment are discussed. Urinary excretions of pantothenic acid showed wide variations while the blood levels of this vitamin were very uniform within each group. Copyright © . .