Culture-based and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of the bacterial community structure from the intestinal tracts of earthworms(Eisenia fetida).

The bacterial communities in the intestinal tracts of earthworm were investigated by culture-dependent and - independent approaches. In total, 72 and 55 pure cultures were isolated from the intestinal tracts of earthworms under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, respectively. Aerobic bacteria were classified as Aeromonas (40%), Bacillus (37%), Photobacterium (10%), Pseudomonas (7%), and Shewanella (6%). Anaerobic bacteria were classified as Aeromonas (52%), Bacillus (27%), Shewanella (12%), Paenibacillus (5%), Clostridium (2%), and Cellulosimicrobium (2%). The dominant microorganisms were Aeromonas and Bacillus species under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. In all, 39 DNA fragments were identified by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) analysis. Aeromonas sp. was the dominant microorganism in feeds, intestinal tracts, and casts of earthworms. The DGGE band intensity of Aeromonas from feeds, intestinal tracts, and casts of earthworms was 12.8%, 14.7%, and 15.1%, respectively. The other strains identified were Bacillus, Clostridium, Enterobacter, Photobacterium, Pseudomonas, Shewanella, Streptomyces, uncultured Chloroflexi bacterium, and uncultured bacterium. These results suggest that PCR-DGGE analysis was more efficient than the culture-dependent approach for the investigation of bacterial diversity and the identification of unculturable microorganisms.