Comparison of rumen ciliate compositions among herford, holstein and zebu cattle in Mexico

The composition of rumen ciliates in the Hereford, Holstein and Zebu cattle bred in northern, central and southern areas in Mexico was surveyed and compared. Of total 16 genera with 50 species detected, 13 genera with 38 species from Hereford fed in northern area, 8 genera with 19 species from Holstein fed in central area, and 12 genera with 39 species and 16 genera with 41 species from Zebu fed in central and southern areas, respectively were found, indicating that the rumen ciliate composition is rich in Zebu in southern area, while poor in Holstein in central area. Zebu cattle had some peculiar species in their rumen. In generic composition entodiniid ciliates were the highest compared with the other ciliate genera in every hosts; 49.9%, 84.2%, 68.9 % and 64.1 % in Hereford, Holstein, Zebu in central part and Zebu in southern part, respectively. The highest average value of total ciliate 4 4 number, 9.8 x 10 /ml, was obtained from the Holstein in central area, in contrast, the lowest 4.2 x 104 /ml, from the zebu cattle both in central and southern areas