Caecal microflora and fermentation pattern in exclusively milk-fed young rabbits

Thirty-two SPF New Zealand White rabbits of both sexes were used in this experiment. They were sequentially slaughtered at 22, 29, 35 and 42 days of age. The rabbits were only milked by their mother and by foster mothers (no access to solid food) throughout the experiment. They exhibited a caecal fermentation pattern that turned towards a proteolytic metabolic activity (high levels in NH3 and in branched-chain fatty acids and valeric acid: 17 mmol.L-1 and 1 mmol.L-1, on average, respectively). The absence of caecal cellulolytic microflora and the low concentration of the total volatile fatty acids (tVFA) could be explained by the lack of substrate that would have been brought by a solid feed. From day 29 onwards, the low tVFA (12.5 mmol.L-1) and high NH3 concentrations (16.5 mmol.L-1) explained the high pH value (6.8 on average). This could be considered as a pathological value in weaned rabbits, but in our case no clinical signs of diarrhoea were observed. The evolution of the colibacilli flora according to age was similar to that usually described and thus was not correlated with pH, tVFA or cellulolytic flora. The evolution of the colibacilli population (from 10(7) bact/g on day 22 to 10(3) on day 42) seemed dependent on ontogenic factors rather than on the composition of the caecal media (pH, etc.).