Nutritional significance of coprophagy in the rat-like hamster Tscherskia triton

摘要

Coprophagy is widespread among rodent species and has nutritional significance in providing microbial protein to animals via feces. However, studies of coprophagy in rodents have focused mainly on species that are cecal fermenters. In this study using rat-like hamsters (Tscherskia triton), which have a large fores-tomach and cecum, we investigated the contribution of coprophagy to protein nutrition in pregastric and cecal fermenters and also examined whether or not the cecum is involved in protein nutrition enhanced by coprophagy. With or without a forestomach, coprophagy may affect protein digestion in T. triton, and coprophagy cannot provide beneficial effects without a cecal contribution. Prevention of coprophagy increased the fecal concentration of crude protein in animals with an intact cecum. Therefore, we conclude that coprophagy is closely related to the cecum in terms of protein nutrition, even in the pregastric and cecal fermenter T. triton.