Abstract
Three methods—the most probable number technique, a cellulose agar overlay on basal carbohydrate plates, and carboxymethylcellulose in basal carbohydrate plates—were compared for ease of preparation, interpretation of results, and agreement in estimation of size of the cellulolytic bacterial population in digesta samples from the rumen. The most probable number method yielded consistent detection of cellulose hydrolysis in liquid medium but required at least a 10-day incubation, and its mean was associated with wide 95% confidence intervals. The cellulose overlay method was the least consistent, and zones of hydrolysis often were difficult to see. The carboxymethylcellulose method was the easiest method for preparation and required only a 2-day incubation. The three methods estimated the same population size (all within one-half log unit of each other), but the carboxymethylcellulose method had the lowest coefficient of variation.
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Leedle, J.A.Z., Butine, T.J. Enumeration of cellulolytic anaerobic bacteria from the bovine rumen: Comparison of three methods. Current Microbiology 15, 77–79 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01589365
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01589365