The Effect of Antibiotics on in Vitro Cellulose Digestion by Rumen Microorganisms

Antibiotics and other bacteriostatic agents have been used in isolation work for many years to inhibit selectively undesirable types of organisms Another important use of some of the bacteriostatic agents has been in the identification of certain bacteria which grow in the presence or absence of these agents. The use of antibiotics in rumen digestion studies suggests the possibility of defining the cellulolytic fraction of the rumen microflora in terms of resistance or sensitivity to these agents.