Simple Method for Isolation of Selenomonas ruminantium and Some Nutritional Characteristics of the Species

Abstract

Selenomonas ruminantium is easily isolated from rumen contents of cattle by use of a selective anaerobic agar medium containing mannitol, trypticase, yeast extract, n-valerate, acetate, cysteine, minerals, and C02 gas phase. Nutritional studies on a strain of S. ruminantium showed that growth is very poor in a medium containing glucose as the main energy source, B vitamins, acetate, casitone, cysteine, minerals, and CO2. Addition of 1 mM n-valerate allowed excellent growth. In chemically defined media, ammonia, cysteine, serine, or aspartate was effectively utilized as a sole nitrogen source, and sulfide as sole sulfur source. Alanine was much less effective and nitrate, urea, and biuret were not utilized as sole nitrogen sources. © 1969, American Dairy Science Association. All rights reserved.