Identification of lactic acid bacteria in captive primate species at Bukittinggi Zoo, West Sumatera

Background Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) provide health benefits, particularly in their role as probiotics and anti-microbials for treating digestive diseases in primates. Objective This study aimed to identify and quantify the total colony count of lactic acid bacteria in the feces of five primate species: Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), brown-ungko gibbon (Hylobates agilis), black-handed gibbon (Hylobates agilis), siamang (Symphalagus syndactylus), and langur (Trachypithecus auratus), collected from the Bukittinggi Zoo. Methods The samples were serially diluted from 10⁻¹ to 10⁻⁷ and inoculated into de Man Rogosa Sharpe Agar (MRSA) selective media using the pour plate method. LAB colonies growing on the medium were obser-ved and counted. Selected colonies were isolated and subsequently identified using several biochemical tests, including catalase, oxidase, sulphide indole motility (SIM), methyl red-Voges Proskauer (MR-VP), and carbohydrate fermentation tests. Results Orangutans’ samples had the highest total LAB count 3.1 × 10⁸ CFU/ml. In this study, we successfully isolated bacteria from the genera Lactobacillus (orangutan, brown ungko gibbon, black-handed gibbon, and siamang), Leuconostoc (black-handed gibbon and siamang), and Weissella (langur). Conclusion Three genera of lactic acid bacteria were identified in primate feces from Bukittinggi Zoo, and further research is needed to determine their potential application as probiotics.