Vitenskapelig sammendrag
In ruminants, the microbial population in the paunch or rumen ferments the feed eaten by the animal. These carbohydrates are converted into volatile fatty acids (VFA), which are absorbed by the host and serve as the primary source of energy for ruminants. Seventy percent of VFA produced from fermentation of feedstuffs by rumen microbes are absorbed from rumen-reticulum and 18-21% from the omasum. Organic acids are also produced from the degradation of proteins in the rumen. These organic acids are converted into amino acids by the rumen microbiota and assembled into microbial protein, which pass to the abomasum and small intestine for digestion and absorption (2).The microbiota in the rumen depends on the characteristics of the diet. The nature of the ruminal microbiota and the fermentation processes will consequently influence the composition of the microbiota in the distal intestinal tract i.e. caecum and colon.Ruminant microbiologists have traditionally focused their studies in the rumen microbiota, and the focus has concentrated on the ruminal fermentation in relation to production parameters. Little research has been performed related manipulation of the ecology of the post-ruminal intestinal tract and its potential effect on bacterial dissemination/transmission. Our hypothesis is that the properties of the chosen feed regime affect the composition and characteristics not only of the rumen microbiota but also of the post-ruminal microbiota specifically in the caecum and colon over time. The nature of the feeding regime will consequently affect the dissemination of pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli-types with virulence factors.
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