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Effect of the Presence or Absence of Rumen Ciliate Protozoa on the Total Rumen Bacterial Count in Lambs

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Abstract

A NUMBER of workers have compared the general performance of domestic ruminants with and without ciliate protozoa. In no case was any striking difference observed. Hungate1 has suggested that bacteria may take over the activities of the normal ciliate protozoan population, and also Bryant and Small2 observed a distinct drop in the count of cellulolytic bacteria in two unfaunated calves after they had been inoculated with whole rumen contents containing protozoa. Biochemical work also suggests that the bacteria and ciliate protozoa digest similar substrates.

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References

  1. Hungate, R. E., Ann. Rev. Microbiol., 4, 53 (1950).

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  2. Bryant, M. P., and Small, N., J. Dairy Sci., 43, 654 (1960).

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  3. Becker, E. R., and Everett, R. C., Amer. J. Hyg., 11, 362 (1930).

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  4. Nottle, M. C., Austral. J. Biol. Sci., 9, 593 (1956).

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  1. Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen

    J. MARGARET EADIE & P. N. HOBSON

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  1. J. MARGARET EADIE
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  2. P. N. HOBSON
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EADIE, J., HOBSON, P. Effect of the Presence or Absence of Rumen Ciliate Protozoa on the Total Rumen Bacterial Count in Lambs. Nature 193, 503–505 (1962). https://doi.org/10.1038/193503a0

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