The fate of nucleic acids in ruminants

Abstract

Ruminants may ingest appreciable quantities of nucleic acids and large amounts are synthesized by the microbial population in the reticulo-rumen. The importance of nucleic acids to the nutrient intake of the ruminant is probably dependent on the amounts of these materials relative to other nitrogenous substances which are presented to the small intestine. These amounts bear little or no relationship to the dietary intake of nucleic acids but appear to be derived predominantly from microbial synthesis in the rumen. Additional degradative and synthetic processes undoubtedly occur in the omasum but there is little information on this subject. There is also little direct information on possible nucleic acid degradation in the abomasum of the ruminant, although net changes between the reticulo-rumen and duodenum of sheep and steers appear to be small (Smith & McAllan, 1971; Jackson et al. 1976).