Deficiency of Carnitine in Non-Ruminant Animals

Under most conditions for the majority of species, carnitine would not be considered a vitamin as it is adequately synthesized in body tissues. However, the need for supplemental carnitine has been demonstrated in mammals in circumstances in which the biosynthesis is limited by nutritional deprivation of the precursor amino acids lysine and methionine. Dietary carnitine is essential for some insect species, including beetles of the family Tenebrionidai (mealworms), the beetle Oryzaephilus surinamensis, and the fly Drosophila melanogaster. For these species it is appropriate to refer to carnitine as a vitamin. _____________________________________________________________________________________________