Microflora in the crop of adult Dusky-billed Parrotlets (Forpus modestus)

Abstract

We isolated aerobic and anaerobic facultative bacteria inhabiting the crop of adult Dusky-billed Parrotlets (Forpus modestus). We looked for bacteria capable of hydrolyzing starch, the most abundant polysaccharide in seeds. We compared our results with bacteria isolated from the crop of three species of doves with granivorous-frugivorous diet and three carnivore birds. Forpus modestus has 10 7 -10 8 of colony formation units (CFU); these values were higher by one to three orders of magnitude compared with those observed in the other species studied. Bacillus pumilus, one of the most abundant bacteria isolated in F. modestus (6.03 9 10 6 CFU), was capable of hydrolyzing starch. We found higher diversity and abundance of bacteria in granivorous than in carnivorous birds or birds without a developed crop. Additionally, we found yeasts in the three species of doves. These findings suggest microbial activity in the crop, although its importance in food digestion needs to be determined.

Gut Bacterial Diversity of the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) Inferred by 16S rRNA Sequence Analysis

“…The high abundance of Lactobacillus could be related to the capacity of these bacteria to metabolize starch, the main sugar present in the seed that this species eats [52]. Starch is a highly insoluble complex carbohydrate with an indeterminate molecular weight [52].…”

“…These oligosaccharide and disaccharide are hydrolyzed to monosaccharides by enzymes located in the microvilli of intestinal cells, while the monosaccharide glucose is absorbed or transported directly to the blood [57,63]. Although fermentation of starch produces less energy than its conversion to glucose by endogenous enzymes, microbial fermentation could be an advantage to animals on a high-starch diet [52]. While we did not sample the crop and stomach of the House Sparrow, our results indicate that the number of sequences on the genus Lactobacillus diminished toward the end of the intestine.…”

“…All these microorganisms are present in immense numbers and are collectively known as the gut microbiota [5,74]. The microbiota is involved in many functions like synthesis of vitamins [41,52,59], enzymatic digestion [30,33,57], nutrient, salt and water recycling [46,63], and activation of the host's immune system [2,26,68]. Despite the importance of bacteria in the gut microbiota, little is known about its diversity and functional role inside intestinal ecosystems of wild animals [44,45,59].…”

Aerobic cloacal and pharyngeal bacterial flora in six species of free-living birds

“…luteola from the crop of free‐ranging dusky‐billed parrotlets ( Forpus modestus ) (Pacheco et al . ). Therefore, they all seem to be common members of the bacterial microflora of diverse bird species with scarce significance as avian pathogens.…”

“…stutzeri cause only low mortality in chickens or are apathogenic when inoculated intraperitoneally (Lin et al 1993), and the latter one has been previously isolated from a variety of free-ranging passerines (Hub alek et al 1998), as like as Ps. luteola from the crop of free-ranging dusky-billed parrotlets (Forpus modestus) (Pacheco et al 2008). Therefore, they all seem to be common members of the bacterial microflora of diverse bird species with scarce significance as avian pathogens.…”