The survival of probiotic Lactobacilli and Streptococci in the porcine enteral environment.

Abstract

Proc. Aust. Soc. Anim. Prod. Vol. 19 THE SURVIVAL OF PROBIOTIC LACTOBACZLLI AND STREPTOCOCCI IN THE PORCINE ENTERAL ENVIRONMENT R. J. VANBARNEVELD Dept of Agriculture, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072. The use of probiotics to improve the microbial flora of the gut, and hence health status, growth, and feed efficiency, has been done with varying success. It has been suggested that the variability in response may in part be due to the viability of the lactic acid bacteria contained in the probiotics, and their ability to survive in the digestive tract of the host (Lyons 1987). The aim of this study was to firstly confirm the presence and viability of lactic acid producing bacteria in 3 commercial probiotic preparations, and then to determine their ability to survive their passage through the digestive tract of the pig. The present study investigated bacteria contained in ALL-LAC, LACTO-SACC, and ACID-PAK 4WAY (Alltech Inc. Kentucky, USA). These probiotics represent the components of the manufacturer' s probiotic feeding program. Attempts were made to culture organisms from each preparation using enrichment media that allowed selective isolation, enumeration, and presumptive identification of Lactobacitti and Streptococci respectively. Counts were made on the organisms using the Most-ProbableNumber (MPN) technique (Co&ran 1950). The presence of probiotic Lactobacitti and Streptococci in the faeces of piglets fed these preparations was used as the primary criterion for survival. The experiment utilised 2 groups of 30 Large White x Landrace pigs. The first group of 30 pigs acted as a control. The second group were drenched with ALLLAC (0.25 g/pig) at birth. Post-weaning they were fed LACTO-SACC in a basal weaner diet (1 kg/t) and ACID-PAK 4-WAY in the drinking water (1 g/L). Faecal samples were collected aseptically when the piglets were 21 days of age (immediately prior to weaning) and at 49 days. Bacterial counts were made using selective media and the MPN technique. Table 1. Number of colony forming units (CFU) of Lactobacillus sp. and Streptococcus sp. from 3 probiotics and the faeces of probiotic-fed pigs There were viable bacteria in the ALL-LAC and LACTO-SACC, but not in the ACID-PAK 4-WAY (Table 1). The single dose of ALL-LAC at birth resulted in a significant increase (PcO.05) in the number of Lactobacitti and Streptococci in the faeces at day 21. The significantly greater number of Lactobacitti was maintained post-weaning in the probiotic treatment. Faecal counts at day 49 revealed no difference in the number of Streptococci between treatments. This may be due to competitive exclusion by the significantly greater proportion of Lactobacitti rather than failure of the Streptococci to survive. These results show that the Lactobacitti and Streptococci in the ALL-LAC and LACTO-SACC preparations were viable prior to feeding. There were no viable bacteria in the ACID-PAK 4-WAY which may help explain the variability in responses achieved when using probiotics. The counts at day 21 confirm the survival of probiotic Lactobacitti and Streptococci in the digestive tract of the pig. COCHRAN, W. G. (1 950). Biometrics 6: 105-16 LYONS, T. P. (1987). Pig News and Information. k(2): 1 57-64. 291