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Probiotics prevent death caused by Citrobacter rodentium infection in neonatal mice via T cells
Author(s) -
Gareau Mélanie G,
Wine Eytan,
Reardon Colin,
Perdue Mary H,
Sherman Philip M
Publication year - 2009
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.23.1_supplement.978.5
Subject(s) - citrobacter rodentium , immune system , hyperplasia , immunity , immunology , biology , disease , medicine , physiology
Intestinal infections cause morbidity and mortality, particularly in young children. C. rodentium challenge of mouse pups is used as a model to study neonatal enteric infections. AIMS Determine if neonatal mice become sick after infection with C. rodentium and if probiotics can ameliorate disease. METHODS Mouse pups were infected with C. rodentium by orogastric gavage at 14d of age and some pups pre‐treated with probiotics daily 1 wk prior to infection and onward. For others, the dam was given probiotics in drinking water to determine if probiotics act indirectly. Immune‐deficient (Rag1 −/− ; J H ) pups were used to study the role of adaptive immunity in mediating the effects of probiotics on infection. RESULTS At 10d post‐infection (PI), infected pups lost weight and displayed colonic epithelial cell hyperplasia, compared to sham‐infected animals. By 12 days PI, death occurred in infected pups ( C. rodentium ; 75% vs sham; 0%). Pre‐treatment with probiotics prevented death (probiotics; 17%), reduced epithelial hyperplasia and weight loss. Probiotics did not prevent death when administered either to the mother or Rag1 −/− pups, but J H , B cell deficient pups survived. CONCLUSION C. rodentium infection causes death in mouse pups. Probiotics prevented these effects, but only in the presence of T cells. Probiotics may serve as an option for therapy in newborns at high risk of developing infections.