<b>Molecular characterization of ruminal bacterial diversity in vitro</b> - DOI: 10.4025/actascianimsci.v30i2.4699

PCR analysis is a sensitive and specific tool to detect and monitor microorganisms in complex environmental samples. The amplification of 16S ribosomal DNA sequences followed by gel electrophoresis under denaturing gradient (DGGE) has been a powerful technique to genetically evaluate microbial ecosystems. Changes in rumen microbial populations were investigated in vitro using a basal diet with different lipid sources. PCRs were performed with two different sets of primers in order to amplify 16S rRNA sequences, and the amplified fragments were submitted to DGGE analysis. The findings presented in this study show that distinct microbial communities were present in each treatment. The presence of soybean oil seems to maximize growth of bacterial population, whereas fish oil appears to reduce growth. We demonstrated the successful application of molecular ecological techniques to analyze the structure and composition of bacterial communities in rumen ecosystems