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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BHNRC) » Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center » Diet, Genomics and Immunology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #306432
Title: Effect of Lactobacillus brevis ATCC 8287 as a feeding supplement on the performance and immune function of piglets

Author
item LANTEINEN, TANJA - University Of Helsinki
item LINDNHOLM, AGNETA - University Of Helsinki
item RINTTILA, TEEMU - University Of Helsinki
item JUNNIKKALA, SAMI - University Of Helsinki
item RAVI, KANT - University Of Helsinki
item PIETILA, TAIJA - University Of Helsinki
item LEVONEN, KATRI - University Of Helsinki
item VON OSSOWSKI, INGEMAR - University Of Helsinki
item Solano-Aguilar, Gloria
item JAKAVA-VILJANEN, MIJA - University Of Helsinki

Submitted to: Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/2/2013
Publication Date: 3/15/2014
Citation: Lanteinen, T., Lindnholm, A., Rinttila, T., Junnikkala, S., Ravi, K., Pietila, T.E., Levonen, K., Von Ossowski, I., Solano Aguilar, G., Jakava-Viljanen, M. 2014. Effect of Lactobacillus brevis ATCC 8287 as a feeding supplement on the performance and immune function of piglets. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology. 158(1-2):12-25. DOI: 10.1016/J.VETIMM.2013.09.002.

Interpretive Summary: The effect of Lactobacillus brevis ATCC 8287, a potential probiotic strain and vaccine vector candidate, was evaluated on recently weaned pigs. The survival of L. brevis strain was also investigated during a feeding trial. Twenty piglets were divided evenly into a treatment and a control group. Piglets in the treatment group were fed L. brevis cells (1x1010) daily for three weeks, whereas those in the control group were provided an equivalent amount of probiotic-free placebo. Health status and weight gain of the piglets were monitored. Serum and fecal samples collected before and after the intervention. Samples from the small and large intestinal mucosa and digesta were collected at slaughter. Data from this study indicated that L. brevis-supplemented feeding induced a non-significant increase in piglet body weight and caused no change in the morphology of the intestinal mucosa. L. brevis cells were found to localize mainly in the large intestine, but they could not be isolated from feces, L. brevis was also detected in the small intestine, although there was no specific attachment to the Peyer’s patches. Changes in total serum IgG and IgA concentrations were not caused by supplemented L. brevis and no measurable rise in L. brevis-specific IgG was observed. However, analysis of cytokine gene expression in intestinal mucosa revealed downregulation of TGF- ß1 in the ileum and upregulation of IL-6 in the cecum in the L. brevis-supplemented group. Based on the results from this study, it is concluded that whereas L. brevis appears to have some intestinal immunomodulatory effects, the ability of this strain to survive and colonize within the porcine gut appears to be limited.

Technical Abstract: Lactobacillus brevis ATCC 8287, a surface (S-layer) strain, possesses a variety of functional properties that make it both a potential probiotic and a good vaccine vector candidate. With this in mind, our aim was to study the survival of L. brevis in the porcine gut and investigate the effect of this strain on the growth and immune function of recently weaned piglets during a feeding trial. For this, twenty piglets were divided evenly into a treatment and a control group. Piglets in the treatment group were fed L. brevis cells (1x1010) daily for three weeks, whereas, those in the control group were provided an equivalent amount of probiotic-free placebo. For assessing the impact of L. brevis supplementation during the feeding trial, health status and weight gain of the piglets were monitored, pre- and post-trial samples of serum and feces were obtained, and specimens of the small and large intestinal mucosa and digesta were collected at slaughter. The results we obtained indicated that L. brevis-supplemented feeding induced a non-significant increase in piglet body weight and caused no change in the morphology of the intestinal mucosa. L. brevis cells were found to localize mainly in the large intestine, but they could not be isolated from feces. To a lesser extent, L. brevis was detected in the small intestine, although there was no specific attachment to the Peyer’s patches. Changes in total serum IgG and IgA concentrations were not caused by supplemented L. brevis and no measurable rise in L. brevis-specific IgG was observed. However, analysis of cytokine gene expression in intestinal mucosa revealed downregulation of TGF- ß1 in the ileum and upregulation of IL-6 in the cecum in the L. brevis-supplemented group. Based on the results from this study, we conclude that whereas L. brevis appears to have some intestinal immunomodulatory effects, the ability of this strain to survive and colonize within the porcine gut appears to be limited.