Molecular Characterisation of Gut Bacteria in Wista Rat After Green Tea Consumption

Green tea can influence the gut bacteria by either stimulating or hindering the growth of specific species. This experimental study was carried out in Rivers State, Nigeria to molecularly characterize gut bacteria in Wista rats after green tea consumption. Twenty-five (25) rats divided into five groups were used; each group had five (5) rats having an average weight range of 70g – 130g. After acclimatization of 2 weeks, groups (2, 3, 4 & 5) were feed with green tea extract based on standard method using oral gavage with rat feed pellet and water for seven (7) days and fourteen (14) days respectively based on their body weights and group 1 (control) was fed with rat feed pellet and water only for same duration and their weights recorded. Stool samples were collected aseptically by pulling from each group into sterile stool sample bottles and sent to the laboratory for immediate analysis. Conventional microbiological methods of culturing and molecular methods were utilized for identification of isolates, total heterotrophic plate count and antibiotic susceptibility were also done. The data from this study were analysed using SPSS version 23, to survey difference in gut bacterial count of wista rats after fed with green tea, rat weight across the study groups, and the values were expressed as mean ± SD at a 5% alpha level.
The study reported a statistical difference in bacterial plate count at (P≤0.05) in Groups 2, 3, 4, and 5 after 14 Days of Acclimatization, after 7 days of Treatment and after further 14 Days of Treatment. Group 1 showed no statistical significance at P=0.212. Furthermore, there was significant difference in weight comparison at (P≤0.05) in rats contained in all groups after 7 days and after further 14 days of treatment, rats in group 1 showed weight gain. There was weight loss in all the treatment groups (2 ,3, 4, and 5). Antibiotic-resistant assay pattern of the isolates showed multiple drugs resistance to all the antibiotics used with Bacillus and Enterobacter being the most resistant isolates. The molecular characterization and identification of the isolates revealed close relatedness to Staphylococcus arlettae, Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobacter cancerogenus, Acinetobacter nosocomialis, Comamonas testosterone, Klebsiella veriicola, Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus pumilus and Bacillus cereus, it showed that the molecular technique proved to be more specific and accurate than the convectional technique in the identification and characterization of the isolates. Also, the gut bacterial count of the rats that were treated with the tea were significantly raised indicating that the tea has the potential to influence the abundance and diversity of gut bacteria. As seen in this study, molecular characterisation of gut bacteria identifies bacteria upto their specie level and they are influenced by diet.