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Title: COMPARISON BETWEEN MICROBIAL POPULATIONS IN THE RUMEN AND CONTINUOUS CULTURE FERMENTERS USING RIBOSOMAL RNA-TARGETED DNA PROBES

Author
item ZIEMER, CHERIE - UNIV MINNESOTA
item SHARP, RICHARD - NORTHWESTERN UNIV
item STERN, MARSHALL - UNIV MINNESOTA
item Cotta, Michael
item Whitehead, Terence
item STAHL, DAVID - NORTHWESTERN UNIV

Submitted to: Conference on Rumen Function
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/16/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Small subunit (SSU) rRNA was extracted from samples taken from the rumen (daily for 4 d) and directly from fermenters (daily, from 96 to 168 h of operation). Samples were hybridized to radiolabeled SSU rRNA-targeted DNA oligonucleotide probes which targeted total SSU rRNA, bacteria, eucarya, archaea, Fibrobacter genus, F. succinogenes, F. intestinalis, and two F. succinogenes subgroups. Data were analyzed using General Linear Models procedures of SAS. Single degree of freedom contrasts compared ruminal and fermenter samples. Expressing population data as a percentage of total SSU rRNA, ruminal samples had higher eucarya (52.23% vs 1.83%), lower bacteria (48% vs 84.4%) and archaea (1.32% vs 2.11%) than fermenters. While there were no differences between ruminal and fermenter samples for Fibrobacter (2.60%), F. succinogenes was lower (.47% vs .92%) and F. intestinalis was higher (.05% vs .01%) in ruminal samples compared with fermenter samples. F. succinogenes subgroup 1 was higher (.53% vs .18%) and subgroup 3 was lower (.81% vs 1.41%) in the rumen compared with fermenters. With the exception of protozoa, continuous culture fermenters supported a diversity of key ruminal populations comparable to that found in the rumen environment.