Effect of Sex and Age on Normal Microfloral population dynamics of Gastrointestinal Tract in Grasscutters (Thryonomys swinderianus)

The grasscutter meat is widely recognized as a source of animal protein in many West African countries, Particularly, Ghana, Benin, and Cote D’voire. Despite the apparent potential of the grasscutter, attempts made to domesticate it have been militated against by high mortality caused by diseases and nutritional factors, resulting in over reliance on the wild populations. It is in this light that this work seeks to initiate a novel chapter in the study of the grasscutter by first documenting its intestinal microflora for health and nutritional exploration. Thirty-six healthy grasscutters (neonates, weanlings, subadults and adults) for a period of six months, were examined for gastrointestinal tract (GIT) cultivable normal microflora using the culture method. The normal GIT microflora isolated in the 1-week, 2-week, 3-week and 4-week old grasscutters both in aerobic and anaerobic cultures were similar in composition. Candida albicans grew profusely on both cultures throughout the one month life of the neonates. Analysis of the weanlings, subadults and Adults showed that GIT microflora had similar composition as that of the neonates but also had in addition, Enterobacter species and Corynebacteria species and Clostridium perfringens. Sex of grasscutters did not constitute significant source of variation in the populations of the cultivable aerobic GIT normal microflora. Age of the grasscutter, with the exception of staphylococcus species, influenced the populations of all other cultivable aerobic GIT normal microflora identified (p < 0.01). Varying levels of correlations both negative and positive existed among populations of the cultivable aerobic GIT normal microflora, except Enterobacteriaceae and Bacillus cereus. Bacillus cereus isolation particularly is of significance because it is a documented causative organism of food poisoning in humans. The findings of this novel study will provide the impetus for meaningful studies into microbial disease and the possible use of probiotics to enhance the performance of grasscutter in captivity.