Isolation and characterization of two rabbit cecum bacteria with potential use for rabbit feeding

Abstract

TWO ANAEROBIC BACTERIA WERE ISOLATED FROM THE BACTERIAL MASS OF THE SOFT FECES, OR CECOTROPHS. THE BACTERIA WERE IDENTIFIED AS CLOSTRIDIUM SORDELLII AND PETOSTREPTOCOCCUS TETRADIUS BY MORPHOLOGY, GRAM STAIN AND THE RAPID ANA II IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM. GENERATION RATE, ANTIBIOTIC SENSIBILITY, CRUDE PROTEIN (CP) AND CRUDE FAT (CF) CONTENT, AND AMINO ACID PROFILE WERE DETERMINED IN BOTH BACTERIA. AN ANAEROBIC CLOSED SYSTEM FOR THE PRODUCTION OF INOCULANTS FROM THIS BACTERIA, AND THE INOCULUM STABILITY MEASURED USING BACTERIA CONCENTRATION AND VIABILITY IN COMMERCIAL RABBIT FEED AFTER 5 AND 60 D FOLLOWING INOCULATION, WERE EVALUATED. BOTH C. SORDELLII AND P. TETRADIUS HAVE AN ACCELERATED GENERATION RATE (18.15 AND 21.6 MIN) AND A HIGH CP CONTENT (47.6 AND 63.21%). THE AMINO ACID PROFILE INDICATES THAT METHIONINE IS THE FIRST LIMITING AMINO ACID. BOTH BACTERIA WERE SUSCEPTIBLE TO LESS THAN 4 œG ML-1 OF SEVERAL ANTIBIOTICS, INCLUDING: AMPICILLIN, METRONIDAZOLE AND TETRACYCLINE. INOCULUM PRODUCTION WAS EFFICIENT WITH CONCENTRATIONS OF 7.5 — 1011 AND 1.5 — 1012 CFU G-1 OF LYOPHILIZED BACTERIAL MASS FO C. SORDELLI AND P. TETRADIUS, RESPECTIVELY. THE INOCULANTS MAINTAINED THEIR VIABILITY AND CONCENTRATION AFTER 60 D FOLLOWING FEED INOCULATION. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT ISOLATION, PRODUCTION AND FEED INOCULATION WITH CECOTROPH-PRODUCING BACTERIA MAY BE ACHIEVED. THE POSSIBILITY OF EVALUATING THESE INOCULANTS IN RABBIT FEED WITH THE GOAL OF ASSURING CECOTROPHY ADVANTAGES IS DISCUSSED.