COLONIZATION CAPABILITY OF ORALLY-ADMINISTERED LACTOBACILLUS STRAINS IN THE GUT OF GNOTOBIOTIC PIGLETS

In the present study, the effect of Lactobacillus casei subsp. casei a nd Lactobacillus fermentum inoculation on jejunum and ileum colonizati on in gnotobiotic piglets has been observed. The characteristic featur es of the strains used were strong adherence to pig epithelial gut cel ls as well as inhibitory activity against enteropathogenic E. coil und er in vitro conditions. Strains were inoculated to 2, 3, and 4 day old gnotobiotic piglets at a dose of 2 mi (1 x 10(8) germs/ml). On the se cond day after the last inoculation, Lactobacillus casei subsp. casei strain counts adhered to the jejunum mucosa and those adhered to the i leum mucosa were 4.54 log 10, cm(-2) and 5.40 log 10.cm-2, respectivel y. Lactobacillus fermentum counts adhered to the jejunum mucosa and th ose adhered to the ileum mucosa were 5.73 log 10.cm(-2) and 4.01 log 1 0.cm(-2), respectively. On day 5 after the last inoculation, the count s in both strains were by one log higher. The results obtained point o ut to the fact that Lactobacillus casei subsp. casei and Lactobacillus fermentum colonized the mucosa of both jejunum and ileum and survived in the intestinal tract. The adherence of lactobacilli to gut cells i n vitro correlated with their capability to adhere to the mucosa of bo th jejunum and ileum in vivo.