In vitro fermentation of cellulosis amorphous and meadow hay in experimentally Ascaris suum-infected lambs.

The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of rumen inocula from experimentally Ascaris suum (AS)-infected lambs on cellulose amorphous (CA) and meadow hay (MH) used as substrates during 72h incubation in vitro. The rumen inocula were obtained post-mortem from eight lambs that had been experimentally infected with 1000 AS eggs per lamb daily for 3 weeks. Samples of rumen inocula were obtained from the lambs weekly throughout the experiment for 8 weeks. Two lambs were kept as uninfected control animals. The substrates were incubated together with buffered rumen fluid in sealed fermentation bottles. In vitro dry matter degradability (IVDMD), total gas, methane and total and individual fatty acid (VFA) for both incubated substrates were measured and compared by the pressure transducer technique. Comparison of the values for the controls, total gas, methane and VFA revealed significant differences (P<0.05, P<0.01, P<0.001, respectively) for both substrates. Pronounced differences (P<0.001) were also found between CA and MH especially for IVDMD, total gas and total VFA production. A decrease (P<0.001) of IVDMD, total gas, methane and total VFA was observed from week 6 to week 8. Restriction of fermentation was evident from week 7 to week 8. The results suggest that the functional damage arising from pathological lesions within the parasite-infected organs considerably affected the fermentation parameters of the incubated substrates.