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A surface (S-layer) strain of Lactobacillus brevis has properties that make it both a potential probiotic and a good vaccine vector candidate. For instance, Lactobacillus brevis ATCC 8287 strain recovered from fermented olives possesses numerous probiotic properties, including a good adhesion capacity. This strain has been shown to possess probiotic properties in vitro and to survive transit through the GI tract of humans and mice. The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival of L. Brevis in the porcine gut and investigate the effect of this strain on the performance and immune function of weaned piglets during a feeding trial. For this, 20 piglets with 9.4 ± 1.7 kg of body weight were assigned in two treatments, control (CON) or probiotic (PRO). Piglets in PRO treatment were fed L. Brevis cells (1 x 1010) daily for three weeks, whereas those in the CON treatment were provided an equivalent amount of probiotic-free placebo. For assessing the impact of L. Brevis supplementation during the feeding trial, health status and weight gain of the piglets were monitored. Samples of serum and faeces were obtained pre- and post-trial, and specimens of the small and large intestinal mucosa and digesta were collected at slaughter.
The results obtained indicated that PRO group had a non-significant increase in final body weight and average daily gain. L. brevis supplementation affected neither the pH of the intestinal digesta, nor the number of total eubacteria in the digesta or faeces. L. Brevis cells were found to localize mainly in the large intestine, but they could not be isolated from faeces. To a lesser extent, L. Brevis was detected in the small intestine, although there was no specific attachment to the Peyer's patches. Changes in total serum IgG and IgA concentrations were not caused by supplemented L. Brevis and no measurable rise in L. brevis-specific IgG was observed. Although no induction of humoral immunity was observed, analysis of cytokine gene expression in intestinal mucosa revealed downregulation of TGF-β1 in the ileum and upregulation of IL-6 in the cecum in the PRO group.
It was concluded that whereas L. Brevis appears to have some intestinal immunomodulatory effects, the ability of this strain to survive and colonize within the porcine gut appears to be limited.
Lähteinen, T., Lindholm,A., Rinttilä, T, Junnikkala, S., Kant, R., Pietilä, T. E., Levonen, K., von Ossowski, I., Solano-Aguilar, G., Jakava-Viljanen, M. and Palva, A. (2014). Effect of Lactobacillus brevis ATCC 8287 as a feeding supplement on the performance and immune function of piglets. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology, 158; 14-25. DOI.org/10.1016/j.vetimm.2013.09.002
