Efeito da associação entre os probióticos Saccharomyces boulardii e Bacilus cereus var. Toyoi sobre a proteção contra desafio com Salmonella Typhimurium em camundongos

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the association between the Saccharomyces boulardii and Bacillus cereus var. Toyoi probiotics on the survival and protection of mice against the occurrence of intestinal colonization, translocation and intestinal lesions after the challenge with S. Typhimurium. The animals were fed for 20 days with diet containing S. boulardii and B. Toyoi, administered individually or in association, in the food concentrations of 8 and7 log CFU. g-1, respectively. The control group animals were fed with commercial food without probiotics. On the 10th day after the start of administration of probiotics, the animals were challenged by the gavages with 5.17 log CFU of S. Typhimurium (LD50). Protection against colonization of S. Typhimurium was evaluated after euthanasia of the mice, which survived after 10 days, through the viable cell counts of the pathogen presented in the small intestine and stool. To evaluate the incidence of translocation, 2/3 of the organs (liver and spleen) were macerated, and resuspended in 1 ml of saline solution in 0.9% sterile, and viable cell counts of the pathogen were performed. To evaluate the occurrence of injury, 1/3 of the small intestine was evaluated through histopathology. The experiment was repeated twice. S. boulardii did not protect the mice from induced death by S. Typhimurium and the occurrence of intestinal lesions. For this reason, it was not possible to assess the occurrence of synergism between the two micro-organisms evaluated. However, S. boulardii as well as B. Toyoi reduced the elimination of S. Typhimurium through the stool and prevented the translocation of the pathogen to the liver of mice that survived the challenge. B. Toyoi protected animals from induced death through the infection with S. Typhimurium and through the occurrence of injuries, and the effect obtained by the association was, probably, due only by the effect of B. Toyoi. Thus, further studies will be conducted to evaluate the effects of the combination of these probiotics facing the challenge with S. Typhimurium and to assess the causes of the antagonistic effect presented among them on the persistence of this pathogen in the stool of animals and on the translocation to the liver.