This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Nelson, K. E. Articles by Zinder, S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Nelson, K. E. Articles by Zinder, S. Agricola Articles by Nelson, K. E. Articles by Zinder, S.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl. Environ. Microbiol., Sep 1995, 3293-3298, Vol 61, No. 9
Copyright © 1995, American Society for Microbiology

Isolation and characterization of an anaerobic ruminal bacterium capable of degrading hydrolyzable tannins

KE Nelson, AN Pell, P Schofield and S Zinder
Department of Animal Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.

An anaerobic diplococcoid bacterium able to degrade hydrolyzable tannins was isolated from the ruminal fluid of a goat fed desmodium (Desmodium ovalifolium), a tropical legume which contains levels as high as 17% condensed tannins. This strain grew under anaerobic conditions in the presence of up to 30 g of tannic acid per liter and tolerated a range of phenolic monomers, including gallic, ferulic, and p-coumaric acids. The predominant fermentation product from tannic acid breakdown was pyrogallol, as detected by high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Tannic acid degradation was dependent on the presence of a sugar such as glucose, fructose, arabinose, sucrose, galactose, cellobiose, or soluble starch as an added carbon and energy source. The strain also demonstrated resistance to condensed tannins up to a level of 4 g/liter.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Mongodin, E. F., Hance, I. R., DeBoy, R. T., Gill, S. R., Daugherty, S., Huber, R., Fraser, C. M., Stetter, K., Nelson, K. E. (2005). Gene Transfer and Genome Plasticity in Thermotoga maritima, a Model Hyperthermophilic Species. J. Bacteriol. 187: 4935-4944 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Smith, A. H., Mackie, R. I. (2004). Effect of Condensed Tannins on Bacterial Diversity and Metabolic Activity in the Rat Gastrointestinal Tract. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 1104-1115 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• O’Donovan, L., Brooker, J. D. (2001). Effect of hydrolysable and condensed tannins on growth, morphology and metabolism of Streptococcus gallolyticus (S. caprinus) and Streptococcus bovis. Microbiology 147: 1025-1033 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Nelson, K. E., Thonney, M. L., Woolston, T. K., Zinder, S. H., Pell, A. N. (1998). Phenotypic and Phylogenetic Characterization of Ruminal Tannin-Tolerant Bacteria. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 64: 3824-3830 [Abstract] [Full Text]