Exacerbative effect of vitamin A on malabsorption syndrome in chicks.

The interaction between malabsorption syndrome (MAS) and dietary vitamins A and D was studied in broiler chicks reared in floor pens for 4 weeks. The chicks were naturally infected with MAS, whereas hatchmates fed the same diets but in a separate facility (battery brooder) did not exhibit signs of MAS and, therefore, were considered controls. MAS significantly reduced body weights, bone ash, serum calcium and phosphorus concentrations, and liver lipids and increased the incidence of skeletal abnormalities (tibial dyschondroplasia and rickets). Rather than ameliorating the effects of MAS, vitamin A caused a further reduction in body weight and bone ash. A possible nutrient interaction between vitamin A and vitamin D or vitamin E in birds with MAS may account for the exacerbative effect of vitamin A.