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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, March 2007, p. 1858-1863, Vol. 73, No. 6
0099-2240/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01840-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

A Five-Strain Probiotic Combination Reduces Pathogen Shedding and Alleviates Disease Signs in Pigs Challenged with Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium

Pat G. Casey,^1,2 Gillian E. Gardiner,^1,3 Garrett Casey,² Bernard Bradshaw,⁴ Peadar G. Lawlor,⁵ P. Brendan Lynch,⁵ Finola C. Leonard,⁶ Catherine Stanton,^1,3 R. Paul Ross,^1,3 Gerald F. Fitzgerald,^1,2 and Colin Hill^1,2*

Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, BioSciences Institute, University College, Cork, Ireland,¹ Department of Microbiology, University College, Cork, Ireland,² Teagasc, Moorepark Food Research Centre, Fermoy, County Cork, Ireland,³ Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, Backweston Laboratory Complex, Young's Cross, Celbridge, Co. Kildare, Ireland,⁴ Teagasc, Pig Production Development Unit, Moorepark Research Centre, Fermoy, County Cork, Ireland,⁵ School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland⁶

Received 3 August 2006/ Accepted 9 January 2007

Salmonella spp. infection is a major cause of gastroenteritis, with many thousands of cases reported in the European Union every year. The use of probiotics offers the potential to improve this situation. Here, we investigate the effects of oral treatment of pigs with a defined lactic acid bacteria culture mixture on both clinical and microbiological signs of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium infection. Fifteen weaned pigs blocked by sex and weight were administered control milk or a mixture of five probiotic strains as either a milk fermentate or milk suspension for a total of 30 days. The mixture consisted of two strains of Lactobacillus murinus and one strain each of Lactobacillus salivarius subsp. salivarius, Lactobacillus pentosus, and Pediococcus pentosaceous. Following probiotic administration for 6 days, animals were challenged orally with serovar Typhimurium; the health of the animals and the microbiological composition of their feces were monitored for 23 days postinfection. Animals treated with probiotic showed reduced incidence, severity, and duration of diarrhea. These animals also gained weight at a greater rate than control pigs administered skim milk. Mean fecal numbers of Salmonella were significantly reduced in probiotic-treated animals at 15 days postinfection (P = 0.01). The administered probiotic bacteria improved both the clinical and microbiological outcome of Salmonella infection. These strains offer significant benefit for use in the food industry and may have potential in human applications.

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* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology, University College, College Road, Cork, Ireland. Phone: 353-21-4901373. Fax: 353-21-4903101. E-mail: c.hill{at}ucc.ie.

Published ahead of print on 19 January 2007.

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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, March 2007, p. 1858-1863, Vol. 73, No. 6
0099-2240/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01840-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

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