Liquid-associated Bacteria Research Articles

Lipid metabolism of liquid-associated and solid-adherent bacteria gin rumen contents of dairy cows offered lipid-supplemented diets

The lipid distribution and fatty acid (FA) composition of total lipids, polar lipids and free fatty acids (FFA) were determined in liquid-associated bacteria (LAB) and solid-adherent bacteria (SAB) isolated from the rumen contents of seven dairy cows fitted with rumen fistulas. Two experiments, arranged according to a 4 x 4 and 3 x 3 Latin Square design, were performed using two basal diets consisting of one part hay and one part barley-based concentrate, and five lipid-supplemented diets consisting of the basal diet plus (g/kg dry matter):53 or 94 rapeseed oil, 98 tallow, 87 soya-bean oil or 94 palmitostearin. For all diets used, total lipids were 1.7-2.2 times higher in SAB than in LAB (P less than 0.05); this probably resulted from a preferential incorporation of dietary FA absorbed onto food particles. Addition of oil or fat to the diets did not modify the polar lipid content but increased the FFA content of SAB and LAB by 150%. Lipid droplets were observed in the cytoplasm in SAB and LAB using transmission electron microscopy, which suggested that part of the additional FFA was really incorporated into the intracellular FFA rather than associated with the cell envelope by physical adsorption. Linoleic acid was specifically incorporated into the FFA of SAB, which emphasized the specific role of this bacterial compartment in the protection of this acid against rumen biohydrogenation.

Effects of phosphorus deficiency on rumen microbial activity associated with the solid and liquid phases of a fermentor (Rusitec).

The rumen simulation technique (Rusitec) has been used to study the effects of phosphorus (P) deficiency on bacterial protein synthesis and chemical composition and on adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentrations in the solid and liquid phases of fermentors. 16 g DM of a P-deficient mixed diet was put into each vessel daily and the vessels were infused with about 1 l of a P-deficient (0 mg of P) or P-supplemented (120 mg of P/l) buffer. Two vessels per treatment were used, and during a second experimental period the deficient and supplemented buffers were interchanged to determine the effects of P repletion and depletion. The proportion of bacterial N directly incorporated from dietary amino acids or peptides was greater in solid-associated bacteria (SAB) than in liquid-associated bacteria (LAB) (46 vs 19%). P deficiency increased this proportion in both bacterial populations. Protein synthesis associated with the solid phase represented about 30% of the total protein synthesis in the system. P deficiency induced a marked decrease in microbial protein synthesis in both phases. Microbial yield declined by about 5 points (g of N/kg OMF) in P-deficient conditions. ATP concentrations were greatly reduced in both phases but P deficiency had no effect on protozoal numbers. The effects of P depletion during period II were similar to those of P deficiency in period I, and P repletion showed that the effects of P deficiency were almost entirely reversible.

A comparison of the chemical composition of mixed bacteria harvested from the liquid and solid fractions of rumen digesta

Steers, equipped with simple rumen cannulas, were given diets of approximately equal parts of rolled barley and straw supplemented with urea. The diets provided sufficient estimated rumen degradable nitrogen (RDN; RDN:metabolizable energy values of 1:3) to maintain maximum microbial synthesis. In some experiments Na235SO4 was introduced into the rumen to label microbial protein. Rumen digesta samples were taken before feeding and mixed rumen bacteria were separated from the solid (solid-associated bacteria; SAB) and liquid (liquid-associated bacteria; LAB) fractions of digesta. The most effective method of removing SAB from the fibre was a combination of homogenizing and pummelling. This process did not affect the physical form or chemical composition of the bacteria. Samples of SAB contained significantly (P less than or equal to at least 0.05) less ash, total N, RNA and diaminopimelic acid (DAP) and significantly (P less than or equal to 0.01) more lipid than samples of LAB. Concentrations (g/kg dry matter) of ash, total N, RNA, DAP and lipid in SAB were approximately 87, 70, 35, 2.2 and 245 respectively. Corresponding values for LAB were 157, 80, 50, 3.8 and 124 respectively. RNA-N:total N and DAP-N:total N values in SAB were significantly lower than those in LAB (P less than or equal to 0.05 and 0.02 respectively). 35S:total N values were similar in both groups of bacteria. The importance of differences in constituent:total N values in the two groups of bacteria in relation to their use as indices of microbial protein synthesis is discussed.