Effect of Eimeria acervulina infection on chick (Gallus domesticus) high density lipoprotein composition.

1. Plasma high density lipoprotein (HDL), the principal carotenoid carrier in broiler chicks, was analyzed at zero time and 3, 5 and 7 days after inoculation of chicks with the intestinal coccidial parasite, Eimeria acervulina. 2. Infection caused significant decreases in total HDL mass from 3 through 7 post-inoculation (PI), and decreases in relative percents of protein and carotenoids, and relative increases in phospholipid and cholesterol esters by 7 days PI. 3. Carotenoid content correlated best with protein content (principally apolipoprotein A-I) throughout the experiment. 4. Findings emphasize the importance of the small intestinal mucosa as a source of plasma HDL in the broiler chick, and suggest that apolipoprotein A-I is the binding site for HDL carotenoids.