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Effects of Probiotic Supplementation on Canine Colon Health
Author(s) -
Hussein Hussein S,
Ngwenya Anele,
Bollinger Laurie M.,
Sakuma Toshie,
Yobi Abou,
Fernandez George C. J.,
Boileau Thomas W.M.,
Sunvold Gregory D.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.444.6
Subject(s) - probiotic , bifidobacterium , clostridium perfringens , feces , lactobacillus , biology , lactobacillus casei , placebo , completely randomized design , zoology , bifidobacterium bifidum , medicine , food science , microbiology and biotechnology , bacteria , fermentation , genetics , alternative medicine , pathology
To determine effects of probiotics on canine colon health, 30 dogs (averaging 29.5 kg in body weight [BW]) were used. The dogs were allotted to three similar groups and were fed a premium diet twice daily to maintain their BW. After 31 d of adjustment to the diet, two groups (probiotic groups) were given a daily oral dose (10 9 CFU/dog) of Bifidobacterium pseudolongum or Lactobacillus murinus ruminis and the third group (control) was given a placebo during the evening feeding. These treatments continued for 84 d with fecal samples being collected on d 0 (the day before probiotic dosing; covariate), 21, 42, 63, and 84. The experimental design was a completely randomized design with the treatments being arranged as a 3 (treatments) × 4 (sampling times) factorial. Significant ( P < 0.05) interactions between the probiotic treatments and sampling times were detected for fecal numbers of Bifidobacterium , Lactobacillus , and Clostridium difficile . The numbers of these bacterial groups or species fluctuated over time without a clear trend. Across sampling times, the numbers of Clostridium perfringens were altered by probiotics. In comparison to the control and Lactobacillus groups, dogs receiving Bifidobacterium had the lowest ( P < 0.05) fecal numbers of C. perfringens (8.46, 8.80, and 7.52 CFU log 10 /g dry matter, respectively). The results suggest supplementation of Bifidobacterium as a strategy to improve the microbial ecology of canine colon by decreasing fecal numbers of the pathogen C. perfringens .