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Infection and Immunity, February 2001, p. 1101-1108, Vol. 69, No. 2
Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research, 1796 Yaho, Kunitachi, Tokyo 186-86501
Research Institute, International Medical Center of Japan,
1-21-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8655,2
School of Medicine, Tsukuba University, Tsukuba
305-8575,3 and National Institute of
Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
162-8640,4 Japan
Received 24 July 2000/Returned for modification 8 September
2000/Accepted 17 November 2000
We examined colonization patterns of Shiga toxin-producing
Escherichia coli (STEC), concentrations of Shiga toxins
(Stxs) and specific immunoglobulin A (lgA) against Stxs and STEC
bacterial cell surface antigen in various portions of the
gastrointestinal tract in an infant rabbit infection model. After
inoculation of 3-day-old infant rabbits with STEC strain
89020087 at low doses (~103 CFU/body), numbers of
colonizing STEC bacteria and concentrations of Stxs in the intestine
increased dramatically and the animals developed diarrhea within a
couple of days after infection. Daily administration of
Lactobacillus casei from the day of birth dramatically decreased the severity of diarrhea and lowered STEC colonization levels
in the gastrointestinal tract 100-fold day 7 after infection. Both Stx1
and Stx2 concentrations in the intestines and histological damage to
the intestinal mucus induced by STEC infection were decreased by the
administration of L. casei. Examination of the concentrations of volatile fatty acids and pH of the intestinal contents revealed that the protective effect of L. casei
administration against STEC infection was not due to fermented products
such as lactic acid in the gastrointestinal tract. Administration of L. casei increased levels of lgAs against Stx1, Stx2, and
formalin-killed STEC cells in the colon approximately two-, four-, and
threefold, respectively, compared with those of the untreated controls
by day 7 after infection. These results suggest that administration of
L. casei strain Shirota enhances the local immune responses to STEC cells and Stxs and leads to elimination of STEC and thus decreases Stx concentrations in the intestines.
0019-9567/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/IAI.69.2.1101-1108.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Protective Effect of Lactobacillus casei Strain
Shirota on Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli
O157:H7 Infection in Infant Rabbits
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Yakult Central
Institute for Microbiological Research, 1796 Yaho, Kunitachi, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan. Phone: 81 (42) 577 8962. Fax: 81 (42) 577 3020. E-mail: koji-nomoto{at}yakult.co.jp.
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