Antagonistic effect of Lactobacillus strains against gas-producing coliforms isolated from colicky infants

Abstract

BackgroundInfantile colic is a common disturb within the first 3 months of life, nevertheless the pathogenesis is incompletely understood and treatment remains an open issue. Intestinal gas production is thought to be one of the causes of abdominal discomfort in infants suffering from colic. However, data about the role of the amount of gas produced by infants' colonic microbiota and the correlation with the onset of colic symptoms are scanty. The benefit of supplementation with lactobacilli been recently reported but the mechanisms by which they exert their effects have not yet been fully defined. This study was performed to evaluate the interaction between Lactobacillus spp. strains and gas-forming coliforms isolated from stools of colicky infants.ResultsStrains of coliforms were isolated from stools of 45 colicky and 42 control breastfed infants in McConkey Agar and identified using PCR with species-specific primers, and the BBL™ Enterotube™ II system for Enterobacteriaceae. Gas-forming capability of coliforms was assessed in liquid cultures containing lactose as sole carbon source. The average count of total coliforms in colicky infants was significantly higher than controls: 5.98 (2.00-8.76) log10 vs 3.90 (2.50-7.10) CFU/g of faeces (p = 0.015). The following strains were identified: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella oxytoca, Enterobacter aerogenes, Enterobacter cloacae and Enterococcus faecalis. Then, 27 Lactobacillus strains were tested for their antagonistic effect against coliforms both by halo-forming method and in liquid co-cultures. Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp.delbrueckii DSM 20074 and L. plantarum MB 456 were able to inhibit all coliforms strains (halo-forming method), also in liquid co-cultures, thus demonstrating an antagonistic activity.ConclusionsThis study shows that two out of 27 strains of Lactobacillus examined possess an antimicrobial effect against six species of gas-forming coliforms isolated from colicky infants. Our findings may stimulate new researches to identify which Lactobacillus strains can improve colicky symptoms by acting on coliforms gut colonization.

Klebsiella oxytoca: An emerging pathogen?

“…The clinical significance of this is now recognized by its association with nosocomial infections in cohorts of hospitalized patients, including children and neonates. [8][9][10] KPC-producing K. pneumoniae are responsible for higher mortality as compared to non-KPC producers. 11 We observed three isolates of K. pneumoniae that were resistant to colistin and 10 isolates showed resistance to tigecyclin, while none of K. oxytoca showed any resistance to these two antibiotics.…”

Comparison of formula‐fed infants with and without colic revealed significant differences in total bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae and faecal ammonia

“…Growing evidence underlines the fact that infantile colic can be linked to the composition of the gut microbiota, and preliminary in vitro studies have underlined the antagonistic effect of selected Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains against coliforms (25,26). Clinical studies have focused mostly on the efficacy of Lactobacillus reuteri, which seemed useful for the treatment of breastfed infants suffering from infantile colic (16,(27)(28)(29)(30).…”

Probiotics and gut health in infants: A preliminary case–control observational study about early treatment with Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938

“…against a wide range of foodborne pathogens [29,30] In the present study, atypical EPEC was the only DEC category identified and isolated exclusively in the infants group who did not assume probiotics. Indeed, atypical EPEC is now predominant in industrial countries, while typical EPEC is more frequently isolated in developing areas [31].…”

“…In conclusion, one of the important functions of probiotics is their ability to inhibit the growth of different types of foodborne pathogens [30]; our study indicated that early administration of L.…”