Advances in the design of probiotic products for the prevention of major diseases in dairy cattle

Abstract

Probiotics are frequently used for multiple objectives and the majority of applications are performed both in human beings and in different animals. The specificity of species showed by the members of the indigenous microbiotia led us to isolate lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from their natural bovine ecosystems and to select those with probiotic potentiality. The beneficial probiotic LAB were isolated from the vaginal tract and mammary gland of adult heifers, faeces and oral cavity of newborn calves. Bacterial strains and their numbers varied in each tract under study. Their surface properties, evaluated using the MATH test, revealed that the higher number of low hydrophobic strains were isolated from vaginal tract, mammary gland or faeces. The capability of autoaggregation also differed with higher degree in those isolated from vagina, whereas those that originated in the mammary gland or faeces showed low autoaggregation characteristics. The production of antagonistic substances showed that the production of hydrogen peroxide was higher in the strains isolated from the vaginal tract, while those able to produce organic acid were isolated from all the environments. A few strains were able to produce bacteriocins and were isolated only from the mammary gland and faeces, but not from the vaginal tract. Further studies are being performed to complete the functional characterization of the strains in order to evaluate their survival in the environmental conditions of each tract. Finally, the selected strains could be combined for the design of probiotic products to be used both in adult cows and in neonates, based on the host-specificity, due to their autochthonous origin and their potential use in the tract where they were isolated.

Identification of lactic acid bacteria in the rumen and feces of dairy cows fed total mixed ration silage to assess the survival of silage bacteria in the gut

“…In the Mie fecal samples, L. animalis, L. johnsonii, L. reuteri, and L. plantarum were found in all the dairy cows tested; thus, except for L. plantarum, the LAB species usually detectable in the gut were indeed seen in the present study (Krause et al, 2003;Hernandez et al, 2008;Nader-Macías et al, 2008). Lactobacillus acetotolerans, L. suebicus, and L. casei appeared to survive in the Mie dairy cow feces.…”

“…However, as Rodriguez-Palacios et al (2009) acknowledged, the isolation of L. plantarum from the bovine gut is rare. The LAB species usually detected in the gut are Streptococcus bovis, Lactobacillus vitulinus, Lactobacillus ruminis, Lactobacillus johnsonii, and Lactoabacillus murinus (Krause et al, 2003;Hernandez et al, 2008;Nader-Macías et al, 2008). This raises a debate on how to select LAB species for developing probiotic supplements.…”

Regulation of Toll-Like Receptors-Mediated Inflammation by Immunobiotics in Bovine Intestinal Epitheliocytes: Role of Signaling Pathways and Negative Regulators

“…However, the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry is in question because of antibiotic resistance of microorganisms. In an effort to replace antibiotics from bovine feeds, many additives have been proposed including the use of probiotics (28, 29). In fact, some few studies have shown that probiotic bacteria can be used as growth promoters in calves instead of antibiotics to counteract the negative effects of their widespread use (30).…”

In vitro ability of lactic acid bacteria to inhibit mastitis-causing pathogens

“…Due to an increased probability of transmission of antibiotic resistance to indigenous and potential pathogens through antibiotic implementation as well as poor cure rates of mastitis during lactation, the conventional treatment methods have to be revisited and innovative and sustainable therapeutics sought (Khachatourians, 1998;Saini et al, 2012). The application of probiotic bacteria, that when administered in appropriate amounts confers a beneficial effect to the host (FAO and WHO, 2006), has been widely studied as a novel approach (Crispie et al, 2004;Galvin et al, 1999;Nader-Macías et al, 2008). These may include the lactic acid bacteria (LAB), which are considered as safe (GRAS, Generally Recognized as Safe) and can be detected on teat epithelia, in bedding material, on plants and in milk (Chaimanee et al, 2009;Espeche et al, 2009).…”