Use of Real-Time PCR Technique in Determination of Major Fibrolytic and non Fibrolytic Bacteria Present in Indian Surti Bu!aloes (Bubalus bubalis)

In the milk industry in India, bu#alo breeds are most commonly used for milk production. Efficiency of fiber digestion in ruminants is critical for animal productivity. Bacteria play an important role in fiber digestion and utilization. Absolute quantification real-time PCR was used to quantify ten bacterial species in rumen "uid of Surti bu#alo fed green fodder, dry roughage and compound concentrate mixture. Abundance of each target taxon was calculated as a fraction of the total 16S rRNA gene copies in the samples, using taxon-specific primers. Bacterial populations showed a clear predominance of Ruminococcus albus, which comprised 5.66% of the bacterial rRNA gene copies in the samples. However, only 0.9% to 4.24% of the bacterial rRNA gene copies were represented by the ruminal Fibrobacter succinogenes, Ruminococcus !avefaciens and Prevotella species. !e proportion of rRNA gene copies attributable to Selenomonas ruminantium, Streptococcus bovis, Ruminobacter amylophilus, Treponema bryantii and Anaerovibrio lipolytica was even less abundant, each comprising < 0.11% of the bacterial rRNA gene copies. !e data suggest that the aggregate abundance of the most intensively studied ruminal bacterial species is relatively low and that a large fraction of the uncultured population represents a single bacterial genus. K e y w o r d s: Surti bu#alo; fibrolytic; non-fibrolytic bacteria; real time PCR Singh K.M. et al. 2 196 animals. Our animals mainly sustain on crop residues, the bacterial population is expected much di#erent than that of HF cattle. However, very limited research has been conducted in Indian bu#alo with regard to the ruminal microbial population using molecular techniques. !erefore, this study was conducted to determine the population size of rumen bacteria in Surti bu#alo by real-time PCR assays fed green fodder Napier bajra, pasture grass (Dichanthium annulatum), and compound concentrate mixture.