Effect of coliform bacteria, feed deprivation, and pH on ruminal D-lactic acid production by steer or continuous-culture microbial populations changed from forage to concentrates.

Fecal coliform bacteria were isolated from three herbivores (cattle, horse, and red panda) and shown to produce primarily the D-form of lactate, plus acetate and ethanol when grown anaerobically in 1.0% glucose broth. To evaluate coliform contribution to D-lactate acidosis in cattle, experiments involving a forage-adapted steer (fasted or normally fed) and four 500-ml fermentors were compared during 3 d of grain overload. In both systems, coliforms and D- and L-lactic acid production were greater from fasted than from normally fed steer inoculum. With fasted inoculum, coliform counts peaked (3 x 10(7)/ml at 7 h after initial engorgement) and receded to 10(3)/ml by the time D-lactate concentration peaked, indicating that bacteria other than coliform were responsible for the delayed peaking of D- (48 h) compared with L-lactate (24 h). Increases in lactobacilli more closely mimicked D-lactate increases than did changes in coliforms. The comparisons between the steer and fermentors showed many similar shifts in end-products and groups of bacteria, more so with the experiment initiated with fasted than with normal inoculum. With normal inoculum, VFA content and moles of butyrate/100 mol of VFA were greater in vitro than in vivo; VFA content presumably was larger because of VFA absorption in vivo. In a separate experiment, cultures initiated with identical inoculum and given the same amount of feed accumulated more lactate when pH was permitted to decrease to 5.0 than when pH was maintained at 5.5 for 6.0 or above, indicating the role buffers can have in controlling acidosis during diet change to concentrates.