Enhancing Total and Cellulolytic Microbiome Activity of Farm Animals by Fermented Forage | ||||
| Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences, G. Microbiology | ||||
| Volume 17, Issue 2, December 2025, Page 35-48 | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/eajbsg.2025.451346 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
| Amr M. A. Elmasry1; Asmaa M. Ebrahim2; Adel Elsayed Elbeltagy1; Sameh F. Fahim1; Usama A. Nayel3; Ali Abdelmoteleb1 | ||||
| 1Agri. Microbiology, Botany Dept., Fac. Agri., Menoufia Univ., Egypt. | ||||
| 2Azz-Lab., Shibin Elkom, Menoufia, Egypt. | ||||
| 3Animal production Dept., Fac. Agri., Menoufia Univ., Egypt. | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| This study investigates the impact of dietary intervention on the cellulolytic microbiome in the rumen and dung of sheep, aiming to improve nutrient utilization and promote animal health. Ruminant digestion depends heavily on complex microbial communities capable of breaking down fibrous plant materials. The experiment involved rumen and dung samples taken from Rahmani sheep. The rumen liquor and dung samples were collected and analyzed to quantify total bacterial and cellulolytic populations in adapted sheep-lambs. Isolation and characterization of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria were conducted using culture-based techniques on selective media. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) targeting 16S rRNA and GH5 cellulase genes was employed to estimate microbial abundance before and after dietary intervention. The results revealed significant increases in total and cellulolytic bacterial populations in both rumen and dung samples following the dietary change. Total bacterial copies in rumen samples rose from 5.5 × 10¹⁰ to 6.5 × 10¹¹, while cellulolytic bacterial copies increased from 2.7 × 10⁸ to 1.03 × 10¹⁰. Dung samples showed parallel increases. These findings confirm that dietary composition strongly influences microbial diversity and abundance in ruminants. Notably, genera such as Ruminococcus, Fibrobacter, Bacillus, and Lactobacillus were prevalent and contributed to enhance fiber degradation. This work underscores the potential of microbial fermentation-based diets to stimulate cellulolytic microbiota, improving feed efficiency and animal productivity. It also highlights the value of molecular tools for monitoring microbial dynamics in response to nutritional strategies. Future studies should explore functional outcomes, including fermentation profiles and animal biological functions and performance metrics. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Sheep rumen; Sheep dung; Cellulolytic microbiome | ||||
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