Effect of Newcastle disease virus infection on vitamin A metabolism in chickens.

The effect of Newcastle disease virus (NDV, La Sota strain) infection on vitamin A metabolism was investigated in chickens maintained on normal or marginal vitamin A intake. NDV, a virus of the Paramyxoviridae family that primarily affects epithelial tissue, was administered at 4 wk of age. Plasma levels of retinol, retinol-binding protein and, to a lesser extent, transthyretin were found to be significantly lower during both the acute and postacute phases of infection in chickens fed a diet marginally deficient in vitamin A compared to noninfected birds fed the same diet, while vitamin A content in liver was unaffected. However, in chickens fed adequate vitamin A, NDV infection did not influence the parameters measured. Levels of retinol-binding protein in liver were significantly increased by inadequate vitamin A nutriture, but infection partly reduced this increase. The results suggest that the reduced vitamin A status in marginally vitamin A-deficient chickens infected with NDV can be attributed to a combination of a direct effect of the virus on retinol-binding protein metabolism in liver and an increased rate of utilization and catabolism of retinol and retinol-binding protein by extrahepatic tissues.