Molecular typification of bacterial isolates from the hoatzin crop (Opisthocomus hoazin)

Abstract

The Hoatzin is one of the world’s few obligate folivorous birds inhabiting the riverine forests of northern South America. It is the smallest vertebrate to have an enlarged foregut, in which plant structural carbohydrates are converted into simple sugars through microbial fermentation. We hypothesize that this ecosystem is likely to harbor a diverse fermentative microflora. Our aim was to characterize bacterial cultures isolated from hoatzin crop contents by amplifying and sequencing 16S rRNA genes.