COLONIZATION OF THE DIGESTIVE-TRACT OF GN OTOBIOTIC AND CONVENTIONAL LAMBS WITH THE DEFINED LACTOFLORA

The effect of Lactobacillus casei 249/89 on the colonization of the in testinal tract and selected indicators of the metabolic profile of gno tobiotic and conventional lambs from the viewpoint of its possible uti lization in the prevention of diarrhoeal syndrome of bacterial etiolog y in young animals has been studied. Five gnotobiotic and three conven tional lambs were used in these studies. The lambs were slaughtered at 3, 6, 10, 15 and 21 days of age. The population of L. casei colonizin g the intestinal epithelium was at the age dynamics on average higher in gnotobiotic lambs compared with lactobacilli in conventional lambs (Fig. 1). The significant difference (I, < 0.001) was noted at the age of 3 days (gnotobiotic lambs = 3.40 log 10/cm(2) and conventional lam bs = 1.08 log 10/cm(2)). Also the counts of lactobacilli colonizing in dividual sections of the intestine (Fig. 2) was on average higher in g notobiots with significant differences in jejunum and colon (p < 0.05) . In both groups, the highest number of lactobacilli was observed on t he intestinal epithelium in lower sections of the digestive tract. In gnotobiots, the population of L. casei colonizing the duodenum was hig hest at the age of 3 days (3.49 log 10/cm(2)), in jejunum (3.74 log 10 /cm(2)) and in ileum 4.37 log 10/cm(2)) at the age of 6 days and in th e colon (4.7 log 10/cm(2)) at the age of 15 days (Fig. 3). In conventi onal lambs, the population of lactobacilli colonizing individual secti ons of the intestinum was increasing with age (Fig. 4). The number of L. casei in the intestinal content of gnotobiotic lambs was on average higher than that in conventional animals but the differences were not significant. In both groups, the highest number of lactobacilli was n oted at the age of IO days (gnotobiotic lambs = 5.9 log 10/ml; the con ventional lambs = 4.6 log 10/ml). From the viewpoint of individual sec tions of the intestine, the population of L. casei in the intestinal c ontent of gnotobiotic lambs was higher than the lactobacilli count in conventional animals with significant difference in jejunum (p < 0.01) . In gnotobiots, the highest lactobacilli count was in the colon (6.17 log 10/ml); in conventional lambs in the ileum (4.71 log 10/ml). The number of L. casei in the content of individual intestinal sections wa s in gnotobiots highest in the duodenum at the age of 21 days (5.6 log 10/ml), in the jejunum at the age of 6 days (6.3 log 10/ml), in the i leum at the age of 3 days (6.2 log 10/ml) and in the colon at the age of 10 days (6.85 log 10/ml). The lactobacilli count in the intestinal content of conventional lambs was highest in the duodenum (3.3 log 10/ ml), in the jejunum (4.2 log 10/ml) and in the colon (6.3 log 10/ml) a t the age of 10 days and in the ileum (6.23 log 10/ml) at the age of 6 days. The lactic acid concentration in the jejunal content was higher in conventional lambs at the age of 3 and 6 days, respectively, and i n gnotobiots it culminated at the age of 3 weeks (13.19 mmol/l). In co nventional lambs, significantly higher total protein levels in serum w ere noted at the age of 3 (p < 0.05) and 6 days (p < 0.001), respectiv ely, and those of total serum immunoglobulins at the age of 3 days (p < 0.01). In gnotobiotic lambs, the serum level of acetic acid was sign ificantly higher at the age of 3 (p < 0.05) and 6 days (p < 0.01), res pectively. In these animals, the serum level of lactic acid has double d at the age 10 to 15 days with continuous decrease of the acetic acid level to one fourth.