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The Effect of High Levels of Terramycin or Streptomycin on Growth, Reproduction and Lactation of the Rat¹

One Figure

Department of Animal Nutrition, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park

Groups of 10 male and 30 female weanling rats were each fed one of three diets: a natural basal, basal plus 0.04% terramycin or basal plus 0.04% streptomycin.

The animals were bred at 4 months of age and again one month after weaning their young. There were no significant differences in reproductive ability between rats fed the three diets. Weight gains of the offspring of animals fed terramycin and streptomycin supplements during the third to 14th days post partum (lactation performance) were in general significantly increased over weight gains of young from dams fed the control diet. From the 14th to 21st days (effect of mother's milk plus food), there was in general a continued significant increase in weight gain of antibiotic-supplemented male and female young. A smaller second generation confirmed the results of the first.

There was no significant difference in average food consumption of dams on different diets during the lactation period. Thirty-seven per cent of the consumed streptomycin and 80% of the terramycin were eliminated in active form in the feces. Neither antibiotic had any significant effect on the fat content of the livers of rats of either sex.

² Present address: Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston 15, Massachusetts.

Manuscript received 16 September 1954.