THE INFLUENCE OF THE VARIABILITY OF FOOD STUFFS ON THE PICTURE OF RUMEN MICROFOUNA IN SHEEP

Document Type : Research article

Authors

Dept. of Physiol., Fac. of Med.; Assiut University.

Abstract

Differential count of rumen protozoa was done in sheep to demonestrate the influence of sta rvation, rich carbohydrate diet and rich cell ulose containing crude protein diet on difie rent types of protozoa. Entodinium and Entodi nium caudatus constituted the majority of the protozoa and flourished with cellulose and starch diet. Diplodinium and Ophryosclex were purely cellulose digester.Isotricha prostoma, Isotricha intestinalis and Dasytricha were the least in number and decreased in the three groups. The holotricha was most sens tive to starvation than the Oligotricha. The increase of Dasytricha during starvation is explained only on the bases of correlation to the bac terial content where the single cocci were predominant. Also the streptococci high number in Solanum tuberosum was a factor in flouris hment of Entodinium caudatus in this group.