Dg. Zvyagintsev et al., DYNAMICS OF THE LENGTH OF ACTINOMYCETE MYCELIUM AND PROKARYOTIC CELL NUMBER IN THE INVERTEBRATE INTESTINAL-TRACT, Microbiology, 65(2), 1996, pp. 238-245
Studies employing luminescence microscopy showed that the earthworm Ei
senia foetida and the millipede Pachyiulus flavipes fed with streptomy
cete mycelium digested 86-93% of the mycelium; the other 7-14% was rel
eased with the excrement. Earthworms were able to digest somewhat more
mycelium than millipedes. The fate of mycelium in the intestinal trac
ts of earthworms and millipedes was different: earthworms digested the
bulk of the mycelium and excreted the rest of it; in the case of mill
ipedes, the mycelium was accumulated in the hindgut, where the intense
digestion of food and degradation of the peritrophic membrane occurre
d. The possibility of the development and differentiation of actinomyc
ete mycelium in the animal intestine is discussed.