Enhancement of host resistance against Salmonella typhimurium infection by a diet supplemented with yogurt

AbstractThe effect of a diet supplemented with yogurt containing live lactobacilli (LAB) - Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilic - on the response of inbred mice to infection with Salmonella typhimurium was elaborated. The results of our experiments were consistent with the hypothesis that modifications of the microflora influence the adherence of S. ty-phimurium to intestinal mucosa, the natural antibacterial activity of the Peyer's patches lymphocytes, the accumulation of the macrophages in the liver, the proliferative responses of the splenocytes. The relationship between modifications of the immune response following ingestion of yogurt with live LAB and increased defense mechanisms was confirmed by the bacterial counts in livers and spleens and by the reduced mortality to S. typhimurium infection.