Aim: The present study was conducted to
evaluate the effect of bacterial culture
supplementation on ruminal fibrolytic bacterial
population as well as on survivability of
inoculated bacterial strain in lactating Murrah
buffaloes kept on high fibre diet.
Materials
and Methods: Fibrolytic bacterial strains were
isolated from rumen liquor of fistulated Murrah
buffaloes and live bacterial culture were
supplemented orally in treatment group of
lactating Murrah buffaloes fed on high fibre diet
to see it's effect on ruminal fibrolytic bacterial
population as well as to see the effect of
survivability of the inoculated bacterial strain
at three different time interval in comparison to
control group. Results: It has been shown
by real time quantification study that
supplementation of bacterial culture orally
increases the population of major fibre degrading
bacteria i.e. Ruminococcus flavefaciens,
Ruminococcus albus as well as Fibrobacter
succinogenes whereas there was decrease in
secondary fibre degrading bacterial population
i.e. Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens over the different
time periods. However, the inoculated strain of
Ruminococcus flavefaciens survived significantly
over the period of time, which was shown in
stability of increased inoculated bacterial
population.
Conclusion: The isolates of
fibrolytic bacterial strains are found to be
useful in increasing the number of major ruminal
fibre degrading bacteria in lactating buffaloes
and may act as probiotic in large ruminants on
fibre-based diets.
Key words: fibrolytic
bacterial isolates, real time PCR, Ruminococcus,
Murrah buffaloes
