Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated From The Gut of Grasscutter (THRYONOMYS SWINDERIANUS) in The Coastal Savannah Zone Ghana

ABSTRACT

The intestinal microbiota is known to affect their host either beneficially or harmfully. Efforts have, therefore, been put into identifying and studying the microbial community in the gastrointestinal tract of livestock. Grasscutter is a promising micro livestock species with a short history of domestication, whose intestinal microflora is yet to be explored. Among the intestinal microflora, lactic acid bacteria confer probiotic benefits and are thus of special interest. This study was, therefore, conducted with the objective to isolate and characterise lactic acid bacteria from the gut of the grasscutter in Ghana. Fresh faecal samples were collected from a total of 26 grasscutters comprising nine domesticated grasscutters from the University of Ghana and 17 wild grasscutters from Mankessim and Gomoa Abontin in the Central Region of Ghana. The samples were cultured on MRS agar. DNA from 57 bacterial colonies was extracted and sequenced at the 16S rRNA gene to identify the bacteria at the species level using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool in the National Centre for Biotechnology Information database. Five genera comprising 15 species of lactic acid bacteria were identified with ≥99% similarity. These included Lactobacillus fermentum (n = 11), L. salivarius (n = 11), L. ingluviei (n = 9), L. plantarum (n= 7), L. reuteri (n = 2), L. formosensis (n = 1), L. taiwanensis (n = 1), L. rhamnosus (n= 1), Pediococcus pentosaceus (n = 5), Enterococcus gallinarum (n = 2), E. hirae (n = 2), E. faecium (n = 2), Staphylococcus homini (n = 2), Weissella cibaria (n = 1) and W. paramesenteroides (n = 1). All the five genera were isolated from the iv domesticated grasscutters while only two genera (Lactobacillus and Pediococcus) were isolated form wild grasscutters. The isolation of L. ingluviei is of interest since this species was originally isolated from birds and is associated with weight gain in mice. The bacteria identified by this study may be important in determining the intestinal health of the grasscutter and should be assessed for their potential as probiotics to improve grasscutter nutrition.