SALINOMYCIN ALTERS CELLULAR FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF MIXED RUMEN BACTERIA AND GENUS ENTODINIUM CILIATES

Five sheep (mean weight, 44.6 kg) were used. Each animal was fed 250 g of concentrate and 400 g of alfalfa hay cube twice daily. Salinomycin was blended with the concentrate at a level of 30 ppm. Five hours after the morning feed, the rumen contents were taken from these sheep via the esophagus with the aid of a rumen catheter. The percentages of bacterial C sub(18:0) and C sub(18:1) were drastically altered by salinomycin treatment, but those of C sub(15:0) and C sub(16:0) were not affected greatly by the treatment. The mean percentage of C sub(16:0), C sub(18:0), C sub(18:1), and C sub(18:2) for ciliate cells during pre-treatment was 53.0, 13.8, 22.7, and 4.0%, respectively, and the percentages of C sub(16:0) and C sub(18:0) were clearly shifted toward more C sub(18:0) and less C sub(16:0) by salinomycin-treatment.