Effect of Antimicrobial Substances on the Ability of the Mysid Shrimp Mysis stenolepis to Digest Cellulose

Abstract

The ability of M. stenolepis to digest cellulose was investigated using 4 interrelated experiments. The 1st experiment confirmed earlier findings that 14C is rapidly assimilated from labeled cellulose. The 2nd showed that this ability was lost when the mysids were exposed for 24 h to antimicrobial substances [streptomycin sulfate, penicillin and fungizone]. The 3rd revealed that the ability to digest cellulose was restored when the sterile mysids were fed freshly ground guts of mormal mysids. The 4th showed that previous conditioning with a diet of cellulose led to higher levels of uptake than conditioning with a diet of protein.