HYPOCHOLESTEROLEMIC AND IMMUNOSTIMULATORY EFFECTS OF ORALLY APPLIED ENTEROCOCCUS-FAECIUM M-74 IN MAN

Lyophilized Enterococcus faecium M-74 was administered to 12 adult sub jects in a daily oral dose of 5 x 10(9) bacteria for six weeks. The ba cterium temporarily colonized the host intestine and its excretion wit h stool persisted for five weeks after the last dose. The mean levels of serum cholesterol and LDL showed a biphasic effect - an elevation f ollowed by a sharp decrease (on day 64 of investigation). The decrease corresponded in time with a significant increase in the ability to re duce iodonitrotetrazolium and superoxide production by peripheral neut rophils incubated with zymosan or phorbol myristate acetate, and also with an elevated production of IgG by peripheral blood mononuclear cel ls. Hence, intake of E. faecium may have a hypocholesterolemic and imm unostimulatory effect. It was also demonstrated that E. faecium signif icantly reduced the average activity of beta-D-glucuronidase in stools .