Diversity of rumen ciliates from domestic and wild animals
Résumé
Here we describe the first molecular approach to study the diversity of rumen protozoa of wild animals. Total DNA was extracted from the rumen content of the red deer (Cervus elaphus) and the 18S rRNA genes were amplified by PCR. A library of ciliate 18S rRNA genes was created and a sample of 35 clones were sequenced partially. With the aid of the sequences of validated rumen ciliate representatives from the culture collection obtained in the frame of the ERCULE project (www.ercule.com) and those deposited in the EMBL gene databank, we were able to identify the phylogenetic position of the ciliates found in the rumen of a single red deer. Notably, none was identical to a previously analysed 18S rDNA sequence and many of the sequences were quite different from those known from the 364 sequences recovered from an analysis of the ciliate communities in cow sheep and goat. Interestingly, several of the clones recovered from the red deer clustered with Polyplastron, a genus that hasn't been reported for these animals until now (1).