A nontoxic intravenous l-amino acid mixture became markedly toxic when l-arginine and l-histidine were deleted from the mixture and was capable of producing convulsions and death in dogs. Associated with these infusions was a marked increase in blood ammonia levels that coincided with the signs of toxicity. Similar toxicity was produced by infusion of ammonium salts. Administration of l-arginine·HCl prior to or with the infused amino acid mixture prevented the toxicity and the blood ammonia rise. Subsequent injection of l-arginine·HCl produced a prompt fall in blood ammonia to normal levels. l-Ornithine·HCl or l-citrulline·HCl were similarly effective. d-Arginine·HCl and l-histidine·HCl were ineffectual. Urea production was more rapid when l-arginine was added to the infused amino acid mixture. The results suggest that the Krebs-Henseleit cycle is a functioning metabolic pathway that normally is a major deterrent to the accumulation of excessive blood ammonia when large amounts of amino acids are infused.

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THE MOST IMPORTANT pathological problem encountered by commercial growers of poinsettias ( Euphorbia piilcheirima Willd.) is caused by a complex of fungi composed of Thielaviopsis basicola (Berk. & Br.) Ferr., Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn, and Pythium ultimum Trow. Collectively these three organisms cause a condition referred to as the poinsettia root rot complex. Since more research has been conducted on P. ultimum and R. solani than on T. basicola, the present research was originally designed to investigate some of the environmental factors affecting the growth of Thielaviopsis and the development of the root rot caused by it. However, another fungus, Chalaropsis thielavioides Peyronel, frequently was obtained in isolations from diseased greenhouse poinsettias. Since C. thielavioides had not been reported as being a part of the poinsettia root rot complex, the author decided to investigate its importance as a pathogen on poinsettias. Numerous similarities between C. thielavioides and T. basicola were evident. The object of this work was to compare the two fungi. Prior to undertaking such a study, the pathogenicity of Chalaropsis on poinsettias had to be established. A comparison of Chalaropsis and two isolates of Thielaviopsis was made to determine the effects of environment on the growth of the fungi and the ability of the two fungi to produce disease symptoms on poinsettias.

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