Hard Faeces Research Articles

Nutritional responses to different diet quality in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum (tuco-tucos)

Nutritional response to different diet quality was examined in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum (tuco-tuco). Animals maintained in captive conditions were fed with three plant species that differed in their fibre content. Tuco-tucos showed the ability to perform adjusts in short time lapse in response to diet quality; food ingestion, egestion and feces ingestion changed in animals under different plant species diets. Time budget, mainly time devoted to feeding and activity accompanied such changes. Coprophagy was practiced along the day and night following the arrhythmic activity pattern found for this species. Feces reingestion was not associated to resting. Furthermore, it was observed during fresh food ingestion, being pellets chewed. Soft and hard feces differed in morphological and nutritional characteristics.

Comparison of Rabbit Caecal Content and Rabbit Hard Faeces as Source of Inoculum for the In vitro Gas Production Technique

In order to find an alternative source of inoculum to caecal content for studying the fermentation activity of rabbit hindgut, caecal content and faeces of 25 hybrid Hyla rabbits were used as inocula for an in vitro gas production trial. About 1 g of three substrates (dehydrated alfalfa meal, dehydrated beet pulp, barley) was weighed, in quadruplicate per inoculum, in 120 ml bottles; 75 ml of anaerobic medium and 4 ml of reducing solution were added and bottles were placed at 39°C. Caecal content and faeces were diluted respectively 1:2 (CI) and 1:8 (FI) with anaerobic medium and were introduced in the respective bottles (10 ml). Gas production was recorded 20 times at 2-24 h intervals throughout fermentation (96 h). The fermentation characteristics (i.e. degraded organic matter, OMd; potential gas production, A; fermentation rate, Rmax; time at which it is reached, Tmax; pH, volatile fatty acid, VFA) were studied by inoculum and feedstuffs. The feedstuffs, according to their chemical composition, showed very different fermentation characteristics. In particular, OMd, A and Rmax allowed feedstuff classification as follows: barley>beet pulp>alfalfa. The inocula differ (p<0.05) in Tmax, were higher for CI (15.53 vs. 11.96 h) and in VFA production. In particular, CI produced higher levels of acetate (38.9 vs. 33.4 mM/g OM incubated, p<0.01) and isobutyrate (0.72 vs. 0.42, p<0.01) but less propionate (7.1 vs. 10.3, p<0.01) and butyrate (11.3 vs. 14.0, p<0.01). However, the trend of gas production, similar for the inocula according to the fermented substrate, and the good regression equation to estimate some caecal fermentation parameters from faeces suggest that, after standardisation, the faeces could be used as an alternative inoculum for gas tests in rabbit.

Intoxicação por Ramaria flavo-brunnescens (Clavariaceae) em bovinos

Dois surtos de intoxicação pelo cogumelo Ramaria flavo-brunnescens são relatados em bovinos de duas fazendas localizadas nos municípios de Santa Maria e São Gabriel, no Rio Grande do Sul, no período de abril-maio de 2005. De um total de 180 bovinos de sobreano que tiveram acesso a bosques de eucaliptos, 19 adoeceram e 10 morreram. A evolução clínica foi de 8-15 dias e os sinais clínicos incluíam depressão, perda de peso, desidratação, salivação excessiva, afrouxamento e perda dos pêlos longos da cauda, alisamento da superfície dorsal da língua com ocasional ulceração, afrouxamento do estojo córneo dos chifres, fezes em forma de cíbalos e recobertas por película de muco, hipópion, hifema e opacidade da córnea. Dois novilhos tinham leucocitose devido a leve desvio regenerativo à esquerda. Os achados de necropsia confirmaram as observações clínicas e adicionalmente incluíam esofagite fibrinonecrótica, principalmente no terço distal do esôfago. Alterações histopatológicas na pele da cauda incluíam hiperqueratose ortoqueratótica, folículos pilosos com contornos irregulares, espessamento da camada de queratina tricolemal e formação ocasional de tampões de queratina; degeneração e necrose da bainha radicular externa também era observada. Nos cascos havia hemorragia, fibrina e infiltrado neutrofílico nas lâminas dérmicas, hiperplasia do topo das lâminas epidérmicas com queratinização irregular e retenção dos núcleos; várias lâminas epidérmicas estavam encurtadas e fundidas. Na mucosa da língua o epitélio de revestimento estava adelgaçado, com atrofia e perda das papilas filiformes, áreas multifocais de disqueratose e espongiose das células da camada basal. Em algumas porções havia perda do epitélio e a superfície da língua era formada por tecido de granulação e infiltrado inflamatório misto. A mucosa esofágica de seis novilhos apresentava vários graus de necrose epitelial e inflamação. A perda do epitélio de revestimento revelava uma área subjacente de tecido de granulação com marcado infiltrado inflamatório predominantemente neutrofílico e macrofágico. Em seis novilhos, o bulbo, na altura do óbex, apresentava áreas focais bilaterais e simétricas de malacia que afetava a substância branca e partes do núcleo dorsal do vago e do núcleo hipoglosso. São discutidos a epidemiologia, os sinais clínicos, a patologia e a patogênese da intoxicação por R. flavo-brunnescens em bovinos.

Feeding behaviour and caecotrophy in the young rabbit before weaning: An approach by analysing the digestive contents

Young rabbits consume milk, feed and soft faeces during the pre-weaning period, but the biological rhythm of intake were scarcely described. This work aimed to analyse the behaviour of ingestion and caecotrophy by analysing the stomach and rectal contents of young rabbits. Chronological samplings were performed according to a 4×3 factorial experimental design (17, 22, 28 and 35 days at 3, 8 and 23h after suckling, respectively). Both digestive contents were examined and scored according to a discrete 4-step scale. Milk intake peaked around 22 days (26.6g/rabbit) and decreased by 50% at 28 days. Stomach score for milk content showed a negative relationship with age. Dry feed intake reached 7.2g/rabbit at 22 days, but was relatively variable among litters (CV=44%). After 22 days, nutrient intake from the solid feed exceeded that of the milk. A higher pellet intake was observed during the night period (18:00–09:00h) whatever the age. Dry feed in the stomach content was affected by age (17 versus 22, 28 and 35 days). From 22 days, milk and feed components were particularly distributed in the stomach: the coagulated milk was close to the wall of the fundus, whereas the feed was homogeneously spread. Soft faeces were not found until 28 days of age, and were located in the fundic region (25–30% of stomach profile). Stomach weight increased almost threefold from 17 to 35 days of age, but showed a slower development than the rest of the body from 22 to 35 days (relative stomach weight from 1.65 to 1.38%). High pH values (5.5–3.0) were found in the fundus at 3 and 8 hours after suckling. The pH in the antrum decreased from 4.19 to 1.90 at 17 and 22 days, respectively. The excretion of hard and soft faeces was indirectly recorded by checking the content of distal colon and rectum. From 22 days onwards, the amount of hard faeces in distal colon and rectum reached a peak at 8h after suckling (2.3±0.2). On the contrary, soft faeces were only observed at 3 and 23h after suckling from 28 days of age.

Digestive strategies of small hindgut fermenters

ABSTRACTSmall mammalian herbivores have a limitation in their supply system of nutrients to their energy and protein demands because they need much more energy and protein per unit body mass than larger herbivorous animals. Therefore, small herbivores need to have characteristic strategies in their digestive systems to overcome the limitation of their small body mass compared with larger animals. Although small herbivorous mammals commonly have an enlarged cecum, the pattern of flow and mixing of digesta in the large intestine varies among them. Distinct separation of the larger fiber particles from smaller and liquid contents which are retained in the cecum can be recognized in some species. Coprophagy, practiced by many small herbivores, has nutritional significance providing a source of vitamins, amino acids, and other nutrients which are excreted with feces. Among coprophagous mammals, several species produce two types of feces: soft feces, which are eaten; and hard, which are not eaten. Soft feces contain more water than hard feces and dry matter includes more protein and less fiber. Coprophagic behavior must be supported by the colonic separation mechanism, which operates retrograde transport of fluid and fine particle digesta or bacteria trapped in the mucus, resulting in high density bacteria in the cecum contents, which is successively consumed as cecotroph. These mechanisms must be necessary for small herbivores to survive on the feed in their habitat.

The effects of increasing levels of soluble non-starch polysaccharides and inclusion of feed enzymes in dog diets on faecal quality and digestibility

The effects of increasing levels of soluble non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) in extruded dog diets were studied in a 3×2 factorial arrangement of treatments using six dogs per diet. The factors examined were diets of different composition giving varying levels of dietary soluble NSP (11, 16 and 20 g/kg), and the presence or absence of an enzyme containing xylanase, β-glucanase and amylase. The diets varying in soluble NSP content were assigned diets A, B and C, respectively, with enzyme or water being added at feeding to each to comprise the six diets used in the experiment. The feed enzyme mixture was sprayed onto the diet at the time of feeding, at a level of 400 ml/tonne of diet. The trial lasted 13 days with faecal collections occurring on the final 5 days. Measurements taken were; faecal score (1 indicating hard faeces, 5 indicating diarrhoea), coefficient of total tract apparent digestibilities (CTTAD), faecal pH, volatile fatty acids (VFA) and lactate. Significant interactions ( P<0.05) were present for dietary soluble NSP content and enzyme for CTTAD of starch, fat, dry matter and gross energy. Diets containing 16 g soluble NSP/kg (diet B) and 20 g soluble NSP/kg (diet C) soluble NSP caused decreases in CTTAD ( P<0.05), but presence of the enzyme reversed these effects ( P<0.05) such that results were equivalent to those in diet A. The CTTAD of protein was decreased ( P<0.001) with increased soluble NSP level but increased ( P<0.01) with addition of the enzyme. Increased soluble NSP levels caused faecal deterioration (2.2 versus 2.5 versus 3.0 for diets A, B and C, respectively), however the enzyme decreased faecal score (2.7 versus 2.5, P<0.05). Increased dietary levels of soluble NSP decreased faecal pH ( P<0.001) and caused the faecal lactate and VFA concentrations to increase and decrease, respectively ( P<0.05), indicating that fermentation in the large intestine was increased. Increasing levels of soluble NSP in dog diets caused some anti-nutritive effects and deteriorated faecal quality, however the addition of the enzyme alleviated some of these effects to the extent that a moderate increase in dietary soluble NSP levels could be tolerated in dog diets based on wheat, barley and mill mix without major detrimental effects on digestion and faecal quality.

The effects of added fructooligosaccharide (Raftilose ®P95) and inulinase on faecal quality and digestibility in dogs

A 3×2 factorial experiment was designed to examine the effects of dietary fructooligosaccharides (FOS) level, and the presence or absence of an enzyme (inulinase), on aspects of faecal quality and apparent coefficients of nutrient digestibility in dogs. Three extruded dry diets based on wheat, pearl barley and wheat by-products were formulated to contain (dry matter basis) 1.75 g/kg (Diet A), 4.7 g/kg (Diet B) and 61.7 g/kg (Diet C) FOS. The FOS content of Diets B and C was achieved by adding 30 and 60 g/kg (DM) Raftilose ®P95, a commercial FOS product. The addition of inulinase (500 ml (1.2×10 6 U) per tonne) was examined for each diet to counteract any potentially negative effects of added FOS on faecal quality and digestibility, and was sprayed onto the diet at feeding at a level of 500 ml per tonne of food. The experiment lasted 13 days with faecal collections occurring on the final 5 days. Measurements taken were: faecal score (one indicating hard faeces, five indicating diarrhoea), coefficients of total tract apparent digestibility (CATTD), faecal pH, and volatile fatty acids (VFA) and lactate concentrations. The CATTD for fat and energy decreased with greater levels of dietary FOS. Increased levels of FOS decreased ( P<0.05) faecal pH and the content of dry matter (DM) in the faeces and also increased ( P<0.05) the faecal score, although this remained in the ‘ideal’ range of 1.5–2.5. Addition of inulinase increased ( P<0.05) the faecal pH. Faecal lactate concentrations increased with greater levels of FOS ( P<0.05; 84.9 versus 142.5 versus 288.7 mmol/kg faeces DM for Diets A, B and C, respectively), suggesting that the growth and (or) activity of lactate-producing bacteria in the colon were enhanced. Higher levels of FOS in an extruded dog food caused faeces to become wetter and more acidic, and consequently the number of dogs that had unacceptable faecal scores increased. However, and at the highest dietary FOS level (61.7 g/kg DM), inulinase caused significantly drier faeces and increased the number of dogs within the ‘ideal’ range of faecal score.

The replacement value of sorghum and maize with or without supplemental enzymes for rice in extruded dog foods

The replacement value of sorghum and maize for rice in extruded dog foods was studied. The diets contained 552 g sorghum/kg diet, 535 g maize/kg diet and 521 g rice/kg diet. The addition of a feed enzyme product containing a cocktail of carbohydrases to the sorghum- and maize-based diets was also tested, with the enzyme being sprayed on to the dry diets at feeding at a level of 1000 ml/t. The experiment lasted 13 days with faecal collections occurring on the final 5 days. Measurements taken were: faecal score (1 indicating hard faeces, 5 indicating diarrhoea), macronutrient digestibilities, faecal pH and volatile fatty acid (VFA) and lactate concentrations. The coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD) for starch was complete in all diets. The CTTAD of fat, protein and energy in the sorghum- and maize-based diets was lower ( P<0.05) compared to the rice-based diet, and were not increased ( P>0.05) by enzyme addition. Consequently, the digestible energy (DE) content of the rice-based diet was 0.3–0.8 MJ DE/kg DM higher ( P<0.001). The faecal score of dogs fed rice was higher ( P<0.05) than their counterparts fed sorghum and maize, with the enzyme increasing faecal score ( P<0.05) and making it equivalent to that of dogs fed the rice-based diet ( P>0.05). The faeces of dogs fed rice had a higher pH ( P<0.05) compared to dogs fed the sorghum- and maize-based diets. The improved quality of faeces seen in dogs fed sorghum and maize, balanced by only minor decreases in digestibility and DE content, suggests that maize and sorghum are suitable alternatives to rice as the primary cereal in extruded dog foods.

Anale Inkontinenz

Das Spektrum der analen Inkontinenz, das heisst der Verlust der willkürlichen Kontrolle von Darminhalt, reicht von geringen Stuhlspuren in der Unterwäsche über den Verlust von Winden bis hin zu massiven Episoden des unkontrollierbaren Abganges von weichem oder festem Stuhl. Es handelt sich dabei um beschämende Symptome, deren Ursachen vielschichtig und komplex sein können. Der häufigste ätiologische Faktor bei Frauen ist die geburtstraumatische Schädigung des Beckenbodens. Fachärzte/innen und Allgemeinmediziner/innen sind sich häufig nicht bewusst, dass es sich bei der analen Inkontinenz um ein behandelbares Leiden handelt, das mit geeigneten diagnostischen Tests und anschliessender, individueller Therapie die Lebensqualität der Betroffenen signifikant verbessern kann.

Supplement: coprophagy in leporids and other mammalian herbivores

In reviewing coprophagy (more precisely, reingestion: ingesting own faeces directly from the anus) in mammalian herbivores (Hirakawa, 2001), I stated that the Capybara (Hydrochaerus hydrochaeris) does not have a colonic separation mechanism, nor does it practise reingestion, following Hornicke & Bjornhag (1980). After publishing this article, Professor Ian Hume in Australia informed me that the Capybara has a selective retention (i.e. separation) mechanism, does practise coprophagy and introduced me to an article (Borges, Dominguez-Bello & Herrera, 1996) that I had overlooked. I then found two other articles that described coprophagy in the Capybara (Herrera, 1985; Mendes et al., 2000). In this supplement, I briefly describe the reingestion pattern in the Capybara and revise my previous overview of coprophagy in mammalian herbivores. The Capybara’s daily rhythm of reingestion in the wild (Herrera, 1985) is very similar to that in leporids. The Capybara typically rests in the morning, grazes in the late afternoon and evening, and spends nights alternately grazing and resting. Reingestion is practised during daytime resting periods (07:00–14:00), while most faeces are voided during grazing at night (Ojasti, 1973). Although Herrera’s nocturnal observations were not continuous, the observations by Mendes et al. (2000) on Capybaras in captivity confirm that reingestion does not occur during the night. The described sequence of reingestion behaviour in the Capybara (Herrera, 1985) is also similar to that in leporids and other reingesting herbivores. The reingested ‘pasty’ faeces are richer in protein and poorer in gross fibre than the voided ‘ovalshaped’ faeces (Mendes et al., 2000). The description indicates that the two types of faeces are both nutritionally and morphologically differentiated, hence they are what I have referred to as soft and hard faeces in my review. It also suggests that the soft faeces (caecotroph) are an amorphous type, not a ‘capsule’ type covered with a tough membrane (Hirakawa, 2001). Whether the Capybara also reingests hard faeces is not known. Borges et al. (1996) stated that the nitrogen and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) contents in the caecum, colon and stomach of the Capybara dynamically change over a day, suggesting the existence of a separation mechanism. Overall, the daily reingestion rhythm and digestion style in the Capybara are amazingly similar to those observed in leporids, the Coypu (Myocastor coypus) and the Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus). Accordingly, the Capybara should be grouped together with them in fig. 5 in Hirakawa (2001). Figure 6 in Hirakawa (2001) should also be revised as shown in Fig. 1 here. The Capybara is certainly the largest mammalian herbivore to practise reingestion. Professor Hume (personal communication) further suggested that the Common Mammal Rev. 2002, Volume 32, No. 2, 150–152. Printed in Great Britain.

Latrine Foraging Strategies of Two Small Mammals: Implications for the Transmission of Baylisascaris procyonis

The raccoon parasite Baylisascaris procyonis is implicated in the decline of the Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister). Baylisascaris procyonis is highly pathogenic in non raccoon hosts and is transmitted by eggs which are passed in raccoon feces. Granivorous species foraging for seeds in raccoon latrine areas risk exposure to the parasite. Various granivores exhibit different foraging behaviors, which may affect their probability of consuming B. procyonis eggs. To investigate the effects of species specific foraging strategies on the likelihood of B. procyonis transmission, I compared the latrine foraging behaviors of the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) and the Allegheny woodrat during 1997 and 1998. The species use different foraging strategies, which result in differential risks of consuming embryonated B. procyonis eggs. Specifically, Allegheny woodrats carried whole feces to food caches, whereas white-footed mice primarily extracted seeds from the feces. Thus, woodrats run a greater risk of contaminating their entire cache with parasite eggs. In addition, woodrats did not collect fresh feces, but waited an average of 21 d before collection, while mice removed seeds immediately upon discovering the feces and preferentially foraged on seeds imbedded in fresh soft feces rather than on those in dried hard feces. This is relevant because B. procyonis eggs are harmless until embryonated, a process that takes approximately 2 to 4 wk. Therefore, mice reduce their risk by removing seeds from feces when the eggs are harmless, whereas woodrats increase their risk by waiting until eggs may be infective. These distinct foraging strategies help to explain the differential impact of B. procyonis on the two species.

Coprophagy in leporids and other mammalian herbivores

ABSTRACTLeporids have long been known to reingest soft faeces. However, it was recently found that they regularly reingest hard faeces, too. During the daytime, both soft and hard faeces are defecated and all of the faeces are reingested. Excreted at night are the hard faeces, which are normally discarded but reingested in starvation. The separation mechanism in the proximal colon, which diverts fine particles into the caecum and thus only passes large food particles, produces hard faeces. When the mechanism ceases acting, fermented caecal materials are excreted as soft faeces. The reingestion of soft faeces, rich in vitamins and microbial proteins, is physiologically imperative. Hard faeces are basically a refuse, but their thorough mastication at reingestion reduces poorly digestible large particles to fine ones good for fermentation. The regular reingestion of daytime hard faeces thus promotes food digestibility. The temporary use of night‐time hard faeces allows leporids to do without food for some time. It thus gives leporids behavioural flexibility and thereby an ecological advantage. Reingestion is also known in other small‐ to medium‐sized herbivores, which are all caecal fermenters. Morphological differentiation between faeces is reported only in larger species, but all ingested faeces are found to be richer in nutrients than discarded ones. Thus a separation mechanism is probably present in all reingesting species. Reingestion activity is deeply related to other behavioural and physiological traits of small mammalian herbivores, hence its study is important to understanding of their ecology and biology. Leporids are the largest of the reingesting species except for the semi‐aquatic Coypu, and reingestion by leporids is certainly the most sophisticated. This development of a reingestion‐involved digestive system has probably brought them to their present niche, as terrestrial medium‐sized generalist mammalian herbivores, and consequently made their characteristic hide‐and‐run lifeforms by exposing them to a strong predation pressure.

Predictive factors for short-term symptom persistence in children after emergency department evaluation for constipation.

Children with symptoms and signs of constipation are commonly assessed in pediatric emergency departments (EDs). Little is known about their outcome following the ED visit. To describe the clinical characteristics of children presenting to the ED with constipation and the ED interventions; to measure short-term symptom resolution at 48 hours and 7 days after the ED visit; and to identify predictive factors associated with poor symptom resolution at 48 hours and 7 days after the ED visit. Cohort study conducted between July 10, 1997, and September 10, 1997, in a tertiary care pediatric hospital ED. All children (aged 1-18 years) with idiopathic constipation were included. Constipation was diagnosed if there were at least 2 of the following: abdominal pain, infrequent bowel movements, hard feces, fecal soiling, pain on defecation, and/or clinical evidence of excessively retained feces. Data on the presenting symptoms, signs, and ED treatment plan were collected on study enrollment and then in 2 standardized 10-minute telephone interviews at 48 hours and 7 days after the ED visit. At each follow-up, patient disposition was measured and dichotomized based on symptom resolution to "improved" vs "not improved." The presenting features and ED management were compared between groups using chi(2) analyses and t tests. Consent and full questionnaire completion was obtained in 102 children. The mean + SD age was 6.5 + 3.8 years; 47 (46%) were male. The predominant presenting symptom was abdominal pain (83 [81%]); the most frequent sign was palpable abdominal stool (67 [66%]). A high-fiber diet (75 [74%]) and mineral oil (48 [47%]) were prescribed most frequently. Enemas were given to 64 (63%) of the children. Improvement was found in 32 (31%) of the children at 48 hours and in the majority at 7 days (77 [75%]). Risk factors for poor symptom resolution at both 48 hours and 1 week included: female sex (odds ratio [OR] = 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.0 6.6); history of recurrent abdominal pain (OR = 2.8; 95% CI = 1.2-6.5); duration of primary presenting symptom longer than 2 days (OR = 2.4; 95% CI = 1.0-6.4); and history of medical visits for the same symptom (OR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.0-5.3). There was no difference in outcome based upon ED treatment (enema vs oral or no therapy) (OR = 1.0; 95% CI = 0.4-2.3). Most children with constipation evaluated in the ED have acute symptoms and rapid improvement, regardless of presentation characteristics or ED management. In this study, 4 risk factors for poor outcome were found consistently at 48 hours and 7 days. This subgroup of children deserve closer clinical attention. Emergency department therapy did not influence short-term symptom resolution. Further studies are warranted to examine the effects of therapy for constipation in the ED setting. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2000;154:1204-1208.

Role of the furrow of the proximal colon in the production of soft and hard feces in nutrias, Myocastor coypus.

The bacterial level of soft feces is higher than that of hard feces in nutrias. This suggests the heterogeneity of bacterial density in the large intestine. To show the heterogeneity of bacteria in the contents of the large intestine in nutrias, we divided the contents of the large intestine into 12 regions, then measured the nitrogen (N), total amino acids (TAA) and diaminopimelic acid (DAP), a bacterial marker, of these regions. Levels of N, TAA and DAP varied along the cross section of the proximal colon. The greater curvature of the main lumen and furrow had higher N, TAA and DAP concentrations than the lesser curvature. We also examined the involvement of the furrow in producing two types of feces differing in bacterial nitrogen content by surgically preventing the flow of the furrow contents. We compared the concentrations of N, TAA and DAP between soft and hard feces among operated, sham-operated and intact animals. Surgical closure of the furrow abolished the difference in levels of N, TAA and DAP between soft and hard feces, suggesting that the furrow of the proximal colon is responsible for making the bacterial density higher in soft feces than in hard feces.

Water transport revisited.

Water transport revisited.

Nutritive value of caecum microorganisms and caecotrophes in rabbits

Rabbits are able to recycle most of the microbial protein produced in the caecum by means of caecotrophagy. Caecotrophagy consists in a selective retention in the caecum of fluid and small particles (as vehicles of microorganism) that results in two type of faeces. Excretion of large and indigestible particles constitute the hard faeces whereas excretion of fermented material generate caecotrophes or soft faeces, that are reingested for the animal. It is true that bacterial-N represents the major part of caecotrofes-N. However, a fraction of indigestible dietary N and some addition of endogenous N can modify the final nutritive value of the caecotrophes (Hörnicke &amp; Bjornahg, 1980). The aim of this study was to compare the Nitrogenous composition of bacteria extracted from the caecum against caecotrophes.

Behaviors and nutritional importance of coprophagy in captive adult and young nutrias (Myocastor coypus).

To estimate the contribution of coprophagy to protein intake, we observed the behavior, particularly that associated with coprophagy, in adult and young captive nutrias (experiment 1), and analyzed chemical composition and amino acid composition, including diaminopimeric acid (DAP), an indication of bacterial-deprived protein, of soft feces, entire hard feces, and the black part and green part of hard feces (experiment 2). Nutrias practiced coprophagy 48 times per 24 h in adults, and 28 times in young animals, which not only had a 24-h rhythm but also had 1-h or 2-h short-term rhythms. Nutrias ingested food and drank water vigorously after sunset, following which they practiced coprophagy from midnight to morning, before lying down for much of the day. When coprophagy was prevented we sampled soft feces, produced from midnight to noon, which had high (P < 0.05) concentration of crude protein (CP), DAP on a dry matter (DM) basis and 13 amino acids on a 16 g N basis than hard feces, and had a low (P < 0.05) content of acid detergent fiber (ADF). CP was greater in the black part than the green part of hard feces (P < 0.05) although ADF was less (P < 0.05). The chemical composition of the black part of hard feces was not significantly different from that of soft feces. The dry weight of soft feces excreted in experiment 1 was 34.5 g and 9.7 g DM per 24 h in adult and young animals, respectively. Using this value, the contribution of soft feces to CP intake in adult nutrias was estimated as 16%, superior to that obtained in rabbits for a diet with similar ADF concentration. To Met and Lys intake the contribution of soft feces was 26% and 19%, respectively in adult animals. These results suggest that coprophagy is quite an effective manner for nutrias to ingest extra protein.

Replacement of starch by digestible fibre in feed for the growing rabbit. 2. Consequences for microbial activity in the caecum and on incidence of digestive disorders

Caecal fermentative activity and daily bacterial biomass production were compared for two groups of nine rabbits, fed a diet rich in starch (ST, 266 g starch kg −1 dry matter (DM)) or a diet rich in digestible fibre (DF, 271 g hemicellulose + pectin kg −1 DM), but which were similar in acid detergent fibre (ADF) content (205 g kg −1 DM). Caecal volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations, measured in vivo in healthy rabbits fitted with a caecal cannula, were significantly higher in the DF group (85.1 mmol l −1) than in the ST group (67.7 mmol l −1). Between 44 and 72 days of age, no change in in-vivo VFA level was recorded for the two diets. Acetate molar proportion decreased from 86 to 72% mostly between 44 and 53 days of age ( P = 0.05), and was balanced by a slight increase of both propionate and butyrate proportions. The concentration of diaminopimelic acid (DAPA) was two-fold higher in soft than in hard faeces, and was not significantly affected by diet composition. The mean level of DAPA in bacteria was similar for the two groups of rabbits (19.8 μ mol g −1 DM). The mean bacterial biomass production was two-fold higher in the DF group (13.3 g DM day −1) and accounted for 13% of the feed intake. Although ADF intake was similar for the two groups of rabbits, the animals fed the starch-rich diet showed a higher incidence of digestive disorders (diarrhoea). The partial replacement of starch by digestible fibre improved the health status without major impairment of growth performances.

The Formation and Passage of Soft and Hard Feces in the Hindgut of the Japanese Hare Lepus brachyurus

The Formation and Passage of Soft and Hard Feces in the Hindgut of the Japanese Hare Lepus brachyurus

Hard faeces reingestion and the passage and recycling of large food particles in the Japanese hare (Lepus brachyurus)

Article Hard faeces reingestion and the passage and recycling of large food particles in the Japanese hare (Lepus brachyurus) was published on January 1, 1995 in the journal Mammalia (volume 59, issue 2).