Gastrointestinal microflora of antarctic birds.

Most of the information on the gastrointestinal microflora of antarctic birds was obtained during the great decade of South-Polar exploration following the turn of the century. The report of Levin (1899) that bacteria could not be found in the intestines of arctic birds at Spitzbergen prompted similar studies by the naturalists and ship's physicians on the Antarctic expeditions. Ekel6f (1908) on the 1901-1903 Swedish South Polar Expedition cultured the intestinal contents of antarctic birds at Snow Hill Island with negative findings except for two skua gulls. Gazert (1912) on the 1902-1903 German South Polar Expedition to Kerguelen and Heard Islands cultured stomach and intestinal contents of birds and incubated both aerobically and anaerobically. No bacteria were obtained from the petrels and only one tern and one Ad6lie penguin yielded bacterial growth. Harvey Pirie (1912), during the 1902-1904 Scottish National Antarctic Expedition to Laurie Island and the Weddell Sea, made agar and gelatin stab cultures of stomach and intestinal material and obtained bacterial growth from 12 of the 21 birds cultured. Dr. Charcot, who led the 1903-1905 French Antarctic Expedition to the western side of Palmer Peninsula, examined intestinal material from gulls, petrels, and penguins and found many types, although in smaller numbers than in temperate regions. Tsiklinsky (1908) identified a few species from Charcot's cultures. McLean (1919) on the 1911-1914 Australasian Antarctic Expedition reported the absence of bacteria in 6 of 14 antarctic birds at Commonwealth Bay. These investigations between 1901 and 1914 mainly reported by species those birds that