Treatment with the Probiotic Product Aviguard® Alleviates Inflammatory Responses during Campylobacter jejuni-Induced Acute Enterocolitis in Mice

Prevalences of Campylobacter (C.) jejuni infections are progressively rising globally. Given that probiotic feed additives, such as the commercial product Aviguard (R), have been shown to be effective in reducing enteropathogens, such as Salmonella, in vertebrates, including livestock, we assessed potential anti-pathogenic and immune-modulatory properties of Aviguard (R) during acute C. jejuni-induced murine enterocolitis. Therefore, microbiota-depleted IL-10(-/-) mice were infected with C. jejuni strain 81-176 by gavage and orally treated with Aviguard (R) or placebo from day 2 to 4 post-infection. The applied probiotic bacteria could be rescued from the intestinal tract of treated mice, but with lower obligate anaerobic bacterial counts in C. jejuni-infected as compared to non-infected mice. Whereas comparable gastrointestinal pathogen loads could be detected in both groups until day 6 post-infection, Aviguard (R) treatment resulted in improved clinical outcome and attenuated apoptotic cell responses in infected large intestines during acute campylobacteriosis. Furthermore, less distinct pro-inflammatory immune responses could be observed not only in the intestinal tract, but also in extra-intestinal compartments on day 6 post-infection. In conclusion, we show here for the first time that Aviguard (R) exerts potent disease-alleviating effects in acute C. jejuni-induced murine enterocolitis and might be a promising probiotic treatment option for severe campylobacteriosis in humans.

Automated summary

The study demonstrates that Aviguard (R) has potent disease-alleviating effects in acute C. jejuni-induced murine enterocolitis, indicating it may be a promising probiotic treatment option for severe campylobacteriosis in humans.