Predation of bacteria by Lampito mauritii (Kinberg) and Eudrilus eugeniae (Kinberg) reared in different substrates

Abstract

The quanti-qualitative nature of bacteria in the gut and casts of Lampito mauritii and Eudrilus eugeniae as influenced by different feeding substrates like soil, sawdust, pressmud and pressmud-sawdust mixture have been determined. Relatively high number of species types and population was found in pressmud and pressmud-sawdust mixture. A phenomenal rise in colony forming units of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Morganella morganii in the gut and casts of both worms was due to their indigestion, while remaining species like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacterium antitratum, Mima polymorpha, Enterobacter aerogenes, Enterobacter cloacae, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus rettgeri, Escherichia coli, Staph citreus,Micrococci, Bacillus subtilis and Streptomyces alb us were digested.