The Role of Bacteriocins in Rumen Microbial Ecology

In recent years there has been an increased interest in bacteriocins, primarily among the lactic acid bacteria, as a result of their applications in food preservation. There has been very little research on the occurrence of bacteriocin production among anaerobic bacteria. Recently, we reported a high incidence of bacteriocin-like inhibitory activity in isolates of the rumen anaerobe Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens: half of the tested butyrivibrio isolates produced bacteriocin-like inhibitory activity, with activities against a wide range of rumen and pathogenic food isolates. We have examined the structure and expression of two of these rumen bacteriocins, butyrivibriocin AR10 and butyrivibriocin OR79A, which represent two structurally different families of bacteriocins. We are also examining the incidence, activities, and structures of bacteriocin-like activities among other groups of rumen bacteria. Our present knowledge of the incidence, characteristics, and range of activity of bacteriocins among the rumen bacteria suggests that bacteriocin production and resistance may play an important role in interand intraspecific competition in the densely and diversely populated rumen environment. They may also serve as agents for the directed manipulation of rumen microbial populations.