[Hepatic steatosis and cholesterolemia in the domestic duckling in the course of protein malnutrition on a rice diet].

The object of this experiment was to study the influence of essential amino acids on the growth, fatty infiltration of liver and cholesterol level of the serum in ducklings.A 11 per cent protein basal diet, deficient in many essential amino acids, given to ducklings, resulted in poor growth, fatty infiltration of liver and high cholesterol level of the serum. In our experimental design, three amino acids, lysine, methionine and threonine were promoting growth whereas lysine and threonine were preventing fatty infiltration of liver but methionine failed to do so. Rather than a deficiency in lysine alone, simultaneous deficiencies in valine, arginine and lysine resulted in better growth for ducklings. This protective effect of deficiency in valine and arginine together with one in lysine was not effective against fatty infiltration of liver.The cholesterolemia found for the ducklings given basal diet or diets with deficiency in many essential amino acids was higher than that found for the ducklings given diets without essential amino acids deficiency.