Serum-derived bovine immunoglobulins (SBI) exert health benefits mediated by their ability to bind microbial components, thereby preventing translocation and subsequent inflammation. While in vivo studies have shown that a fraction of SBI also reaches the colon, little is known about the impact of SBI on the dense colonic microbiota that has great potential to impact human health. This study, therefore, investigated the impact of three bovine plasma protein fractions (SBI, bovine plasma (BP) and albumin-enriched bovine plasma (ABP)) on the gut microbiota of six human adults using the novel ex vivo SIFR® technology, recently demonstrated to generate predictive findings for clinical studies. When dosed at an equivalent of 5 g/day, all protein fractions significantly increased health-related metabolites—acetate, propionate, and butyrate. Upon simulating small intestinal absorption, SBI still markedly increased acetate and propionate, demonstrating that SBI is more resistant to small intestinal digestion and absorption compared to the other protein sources. Despite noticeable interindividual differences in microbiota composition among human adults, SBI consistently stimulated a narrow spectrum of gut microbes, which largely differed from the ones that are typically involved in carbohydrate fermentation. The SBI-fermenting consortium included B. vulgatus and L. edouardi (correlating with acetate and propionate) along with Dorea longicatena, Coprococcus comes and the butyrate-producing bacterium SS3/4 (correlating with butyrate). Overall, this study revealed that protein bovine fractions can contribute to health benefits by specifically modulating the human gut microbiota. While health benefits could follow from the production of SCFA, a broader range of protein-derived metabolites could also be produced. This study also confirms that the concept of prebiotics (substrates selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit) could go beyond the use of ingestible carbohydrates and extend to partially indigestible proteins.

A Magnet®-designated acute care community hospital in Southeast Texas experienced a COVID-19 surge during the summer of 2020 that increased the acuity of admitted patients. The critical care, intermediate care, and COVID-19 units were consistently at capacity. These beds were no longer considered an available resource, but their need continued to grow. As hospital acuity increased, patients were placed in medical or surgical (medsurg) units when historically they may have been placed in a critical care unit. Hospital leadership determined that more space was needed to cohort COVID-19 patients, specifically those on high-flow oxygen. Given the decrease in observation status patients, an existing observation unit was converted into a high-flow oxygen unit using team nursing and personal protective equipment (PPE) zones. The successful transformation of the observation unit provided a guide on the cohorting of patients and team nursing approach for any future disease surges.

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The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in the health of its host by regulating metabolism and protecting against pathogens. One of the key functions of the gut microbiome is to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), including acetate, propionate, and butyrate. Though each SCFA has distinct health benefits, all SCFAs have anti-inflammatory effects and decrease the pH of the colonic lumen which increases mineral absorption and inhibits the growth of pathogens. Previous studies show that various fractions of bovine plasma positively impact the gut health, though their effect on the microbiome and SCFA levels is unknown. The objective of our study is to examine the effect of different bovine plasma fractions (whole plasma, crude bovine serum albumin [BSA], and immunoglobulins [SBI]) on the SCFA composition of the gut microbiome. We hypothesize that the bovine plasma fractions will alter the microbiome with an increase of SCFA abundance, with each of the three fractions performing uniquely.SIFR technology (Cryptobiotix) was used to investigate the effects of the three plasma products on the fermentation of fecal microbiota samples provided by six donors. Each protein fraction was subjected to oral, gastric, and small intestinal digestion, simulated small intestinal absorption, and colonic fermentation. Samples were analyzed by examining metabolic activity metrics, including the pH, gas levels, abundance of various SCFAs and branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs), and microbial composition by quantitative 16S rRNA gene profiling. The addition of any of the three bovine plasma fractions (5 g) showed significant changes in microbial activity, including the increase in acetate, propionate, and butyrate (p < 0.001), with the addition of SBI having the largest effect, followed by whole plasma then BSA. The increase in the SCFAs was accompanied by an increase of bacteria known to produce SCFAs for all dosed protein fractions, with the SBI fraction giving significant increases in Firmicutes (p < 0.05) and Bacteroides (p < 0.01) compared to the blank. Overall, the addition of bovine plasma fractions into an in vitro gut model increases SCFAs, including acetate, propionate, and butyrate, with SBI showing the largest impact. Though SBI is known to bind and neutralize opportunistic pathogens by immune and steric exclusion mechanisms in the gut, this work suggests that SBI further promotes gut health by increasing SCFAs and the bacteria that produce them. Commercial - Proliant Health and Biologicals funded the research. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

The gut microbiome consists of a complex population of bacteria, fungi, and viruses that aid the host in various physiological functions. When the microbiota is imbalanced, known as dysbiosis, symbiotic microbes can become opportunistic and excrete virulence factors that decrease intestinal barrier function, causing chronic inflammation that leads to disease. Therefore, maintaining gut microbiome balance is critical to overall health. Endogenous immunoglobulins play a positive role in gut homeostasis and immunoglobulin supplements can assist the body with microbiome maintenance. Serum-derived bovine immunoglobulin/protein isolate (SBI), a spray-dried protein powder enriched in immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM), is clinically proven to help manage loose and frequent stools associated with gastrointestinal enteropathies. A previous study used an in vitro cell culture model to show that SBI binds and neutralizes pattern-associated molecular patterns by steric/immune exclusion mechanisms. The goal of our study is to expand the list of antigens to which SBI binds. We hypothesize the IgG in SBI binds additional opportunistic microbes found in the gut and their associated virulence factors. Heliobacter pylori ( H. pylori), Shigella dysenteriae, Escherichia coli ( E. coli), and Candida albicans ( C. albicans) are common microbes associated with human gastroenteropathies. Therefore, we initially tested the binding of SBI to H. pylori lysate, H. pylori cytotoxicity-associated immunodominant antigen (CagA), Shiga toxin type-1 (Stx1), E. coli cytolethal distending toxin (CDT), C. albicans lysate, and C. albicans agglutinin-like protein 3 (Als3) by a dot blot method. SBI demonstrated binding to all antigens except the H. pylori lysate. To validate specificity of IgG, further binding studies were completed using a modified ELISA. The absorbance of IgG bound to immobilized antigens increased proportionally to SBI concentration (CagA R2=0.98, Stx1 R2=0.97, CDT subunit A R2=0.99, CDT subunit C R2=0.99, C. albicans lysate R2=0.99, and Als3 R2=0.99). Control experiments verified effective blocking, non-specific binding, and functionality (denatured SBI), as no significant absorbance was measured for any antigen tested. Together, the dot blot and modified ELISA showed the IgG in SBI was found to bind to a variety of opportunistic microbes and their associated virulence factors, including CagA, Stx1, CDT subunit A, CDT subunit C, C. albicans lysate, and Als3. Future work will examine if IgG binding can promote gut microbiome balance. Proliant Health and Biologicals This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.