Lysis of Viable Rumen Bacteria in Bovine Rumen Fluid

Streptococcus bovis andButyrivibrio sp. were labeled with thymidine-methyl-3 H, washed, and resuspended in rumen fluid or rumen fluid fractions obtained from Holstein and Jersey cows fed alfalfa hay once daily. Factors affecting the lytic activity found in untreated rumen fluid were examined. Day to day variation and differences before and after feeding were observed for the same cow. There were also differences between cows on the same day. For a given rumen fluid, the rate of release of label was roughly proportional to the number of labeled cells present over a 100-fold range in concentration. Removal of protozoa largely abolished the lytic action of fresh rumen fluid forS. bovis , but some soluble lytic activity remained. Mixed rumen protozoa added to media containing labeledS. bovis caused label to appear in solution. In a sample of rumen fluid containing 4.3 × 104 protozoa/ml 5.2% of theS. bovis population were destroyed by protozoa per hr. The mean rate of destruction for 12 runs on whole rumen fluid was 8.7% per hr with a standard deviation of 6.05. Parallel experiments withButyrivibrio indicated that soluble lytic factors were more important for this organism. They could be destroyed by autoclaving and were generated when viable rumen bacteria were resuspended in autoclaved rumen fluid. The lysis ofS. bovis andButyrivibrio , at equal cell densities, by mixed rumen protozoa was compared in 30% rumen fluid media, andButyrivibrio appeared to be more readily lysed thanS. bovis .