Potential of galvanotaxis to separation and cleaning of rumen ciliates

The ability of rumen ciliate protozoa to move in a unidirectional electrical field from the anode to the cathode was tested in large-volume electromigration equipment; the aim was to concentrate the microorganisms and clean them of impurities. During galvanotaxis in the freshly harvested rumen fluid and at a voltage of 10 V (I=0.8 mA), cells of Isotricha (Isotricha prostoma, Isotricha intestinalis) were the first to swim towards the cathode; 1 min later, they were followed by Dasytricha ruminantium. Entodiniomorphous ciliates (small Entodiniae as well as large species) displayed minimum movement towards the cathode. The yield of electromigration of Entodinium caudatum from the in vitro culture ranged within 2-6% when using 75-100 V (10 mA) and 60 V (5 mA) voltage, respectively. At 10 V (0.8 mA), E. caudatum did not move towards the cathode. It is shown that the behavior of Trichostomatids (Dasytricha and Isotricha) facilitates separation by means of the tested large-volume equipment. Concentration and cleaning of Entodiniomorphous ciliates using galvanotaxis in the tested equipment proved to be ineffective.