Basal medium for the selective enumeration of rumen bacteria utilizing specific energy sources

A 40% rumen fluid basal medium has been developed that without added substrate will support growth of about 10% or less of the total colony count obtained with 40% rumen fluid-glucose-cellobiose-starch-agar medium (RGCSA). The basal medium is prepared by anaerobic incubation of all ingredients in RGCSA medium except the carbohydrates, Na2CO3, and cysteine for 7 days at 38 degrees C. After incubation, substrate(s), Na2CO3 and cysteine are added and the medium is tubed and sterilized as in normal medium preparation. When xylose was included with glucose, cellobiose, and starch as added carbohydrates in the incubated medium, colony counts were comparable to those obtained with RGCSA medium. The addition of specific carbohydrates or other substrates as energy sources to the basal medium suggested that the percentage of the bacterial population capable of utilizing these energy sources was influenced by the ration of the animal; however, considerable animal variation and day-to-day variation in a given animal was observed. Comparison of the population in animals fed either orchardgrass hay or 60% corn-40% orchardgrass (60-40) indicated little or no difference for the percentage of bacteria utilizing glucose, pectin, xylan, or mannitol. Increases in the percentages of xylose-, cellobiose-, Glycerol-, and lactate-utilizing bacteria occurred with the orchardgrass hay ration, whereas the percentage of starch-digesting bacteria was increased significantly (P less than 0.01) in the animals fed the 60-40 ration. A limited number of bacterial strains were isolated from the basal medium without added substrate, most of which were atypical with respect to the predominant rumen bacteria. Growth of these strains, even in complex media, was very slow and limited. Based on these data with isolated strains and colony counts obtained in roll tube medium containing only minerals, resazurin, agar, Na2CO3, and cysteine, the selective medium overestimated the percentage of bacteria able to use a specific energy source. This overestimate was 6 to 7% of the total culturable count.