The isolation of anaerobic bacteria from the gut of Camponotus japonicus
Author of the article:ZHU Zhuo-Lin** NAN Xiao-Ning WANG Yun-Guo HE Hong***
Author's Workplace：College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Key Words：Camponotus japonicus, gut bacteria, anaerobic bacteria, Interlayer Petri Dish Method
Abstract： [Objectives] An anaerobic device was designed to culture anaerobic bacteria from the digestive tract of Camponotus japonicus. [Methods] A simple anaerobic device; the Interlayer Petri Dish Method, was improved to isolate anaerobic bacteria from the digestive tract of C. japonicus using four kinds of culture media (LB medium, Beef extract peptone, MRS medium and LBS medium). [Results] Twenty-two different bacterial strains were isolated from the guts of C. japonicus. These belonged to 17 genera of the Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Proteobacterium. Four kinds of culture mediums had high selectivity, and isolated different bacterial species. More bacterial species were isolated from LB and beef extract peptone medium (10 and 8 species respectively), less were isolated from LBS and MRS medium (3 and 1 species respectively). In addition, bacterial species isolated from the digestive tracts of major and minor workers differed, which may be related to their functions and responsibilities in the colony. Further research will be required to clarify this. [Conclusion] Several anaerobic bacteria were successfully isolated from the guts of C. japonicus using the Interlayer Petri Dish Method, which provides a reference for isolating the gut bacteria of other insects.