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E. RINGØ, J.B. LØDEMEL, R. MYKLEBUST, T. KAINO, T.M. MAYHEW AND R.E. OLSEN. 2001. Aims: The primary aim was to use transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to define the location of epithelium‐associated bacteria in the digestive tract of the salmonid fish, Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). Methods and Results: TEM and SEM examination of the gastrointestinal tract demonstrated substantial numbers of ovoid and rod‐shaped bacterial cells associated with the microvillous brush borders of enterocytes. Bacteria were found at the tips of microvilli as well as between adjacent microvilli. Endocytosis of bacteria by epithelial cells was observed in two regions (pyloric caeca and midgut). Conclusions: Electron microscope examination of the gut is an important tool for evaluating the microbial ecology of the fish digestive tract ecosystem. Significance and Impact of the Study: The results of the current study clearly demonstrate that the intestine is involved in bacterial endocytosis.

The uptake of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) from bacterial fermentation of forage in the rumen is enhanced by the presence of papillae which greatly increase the surface area of the mucosa of the rumen. The degree of papillation, expressed as the surface enlargement factor (SEF), seems to be closely related to the level of microbial activity and the rate of production of VFAs in the rumen. In several species of wild ruminants the SEF decreases markedly in winter, apparently in response to a decrease in the quality and availability of forage and also, presumably, in the level of ruminal microbial activity. Contrary to expectation, however, no reduction in the rate of production of VFAs in winter has been detected in semi-domesticated reindeer at natural pasture in northern Norway. We investigated the body mass, the composition and quality of the diet and the morphology of rumen papillae in adult female reindeer free-living at natural pasture. Animals were slaughtered in matched aged groups of nine on four occasions: in autumn (September) and winter (November, February and March). The composition and quality of the diet was determined by morphological and chemical analysis of plant fragments recovered from the rumen. The carcass mass of the animals did not differ signi®cantly between collections. The animals ate vascular plants and lichens from 37 different genera. The composition of the diet varied little between months except for the inclusion of a substantial proportion (25.8% of fragments) of lichens in March. The mean density of rumen papillae increased from 55.6 papillae/cm 2 in September to 75.7 papillae/cm 2 in March (P < 0.001). All other parameters, including the length and perimeter of the papillae and the SEF of the rumen, were lower in March compared with September. However, the mean SEF increased from 8.8 in February to 10.6 in March (P < 0.05), indicating increased ruminal fermentation in late winter. We propose that the increase in the SEF in March might be associated with the increase in the proportion of lichens in the diet. Lichens are highly digestible in reindeer but do not score highly in conventional analyses of diet quality owing to the unusual chemical structure of the structural carbohydrates of which they are composed.

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Histomorphometry seems superior in predicting coexistent carcinoma in high-risk endometrial hyperplasia and should be considered for clinical use.