Formula fortified with live probiotic culture reduces pulmonary and gastrointestinal bacterial colonization and translocation in a newborn animal model.
OBJECTIVE
Acidified diets are protective against intestinal bacterial colonization and translocation. Probiotic diets are designed to modulate the intestinal flora to enhance mucosal immunity. This study was designed to determine if formula acidified with live probiotic decreases bacterial gut colonization and translocation, and is equally tolerated as other acidified diets.


METHODS
One hundred twenty-eight rabbit pups delivered via cesarean section [cesarean delivery, cesarean birth, abdominal delivery] were randomly assigned to 4 feeding groups: NAN Nestle (control, pH 7.0), NAN acidified with citric acid (pH 4.55), biologically acidified Pelargon (pH 4.55), and NAN with live Lactococcus lactis culture (pH 4.2). Pups were gavage fed every 12 hours with Enterobacter cloacae challenges of 10 colony-forming units/mL per feed and killed on day of life 3. Lungs, liver, spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs), stomach, and cecum were cultured and quantitatively analyzed for target organism growth. Results were analyzed using chi(2) tests.


RESULTS
NAN with live probiotic culture, when compared with Pelargon, acidified NAN, and NAN, significantly reduced the incidence of Enterobacter pulmonary colonization (P < .01), bacterial translocation (liver, P < .025; spleen and MLN, P < .05), and gastric and intestinal colonization (P < .001 for both).


CONCLUSIONS
Probiotic-fortified formula provides superior protection against pulmonary and gastrointestinal bacterial colonization and translocation compared with neutral and acidified formulas, and is equally tolerated.
McVay
Marcene R
MR
Arkansas Children's Hospital, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72202-3591, USA.
Boneti
Cristiano
C
Habib
Christine M
CM
Keller
Jennifer E
JE
Kokoska
Evan R
ER
Jackson
Richard J
RJ
Smith
Samuel D
SD
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D018988:Bacterial Translocation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000379:methods; D020345:Enterocolitis, Necrotizing / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D005526:Food, Formulated; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D011336:Probability; D019936:Probiotics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011817:Rabbits; D011897:Random Allocation; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity