Changes in Microbial Flora of Animal Feces after Excretion

Excretion of cattle, pigs and chickens were kept at 24°C under high humidity, and changes in microbial flora were observed for 7 days. In the excretion of cattle, the levels of aerobic-cultured bacteria, anaerobic-cultured bacteria, enterobacteriaceae and staphylococci increased 1 day after excretion, and stable until day 7. The dominant aerobic-cultured bacteria was streptococci in fresh feces and was replaced by enterobacteriaceae on and after day 1. Bacteroidaceae was the most abundant anaerobe ; however, the level was lower than that of enterobacteriaceae. In the excretion of the pigs, the levels of aerobic-cultured bacteria and streptococci was constant until day 7. The dominant aerobic-cultured bacteria was streptococci in fresh feces and was replaced by enterobacteriaceae on and after day 3. The levels of anaerobes increased until day 3. In the fresh feces, levels of eubacteria and lactobacilli were almost the same as that of enterobacteriaceae ; however, enterobacteriaceae was the most abundant on and after day 1. The data from the cattle and pig indicated that enterobacteriaceae became the dominant microbe after excretion, and that the levels of the other microbe, even though anaer-obes, were not drastically changed until day 7. Chicken feces showed different tendency that anaerobes was more abundant than aerobes and the levels of either anaerobes examined were larger than that of enterobacteriaceae.