Probiotic Properties of some Lactobacillus spp. that can survive in the Presence of Viral Gastroenteritis

Abstract

Viral acute gastroenteritis is a serious health problem worldwide with the high morbidityand mortality rates. In fact there is no available antiviral treatment for gastroenteritis alternatively, the use of probiotics on which have numerous benefits, has been on the increase recently. Therefore, to be able to identify the strains that can survive in viral acute gastroenteritis and their distinguishable features, seven strains of Lactobacillus spp. were isolated from the stool samples of 0-5 year old children with viral gastroenteritis in this study. Strains were identified by API 50 CH test. EPS production capacities, acid resistance, bile tolerance, antibiotic susceptibilities, and antimicrobial activities against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 were determined in the order to investigate their probiotic features. Strains were characterized as Lactobacillus plantarum. All strains survived in De Man Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) broth with adjusted pH values of 2 and 3, despite high inhibition rates (95.2-99.2% and 98.3-99.2%, respectively). Furthermore, all strains maintained their viability within MRS broth mediums that contain 0.15%, 0.2% and 0.3% bile (viability rates as 81.4-92.5%, 80.9-87.3% and 73.2-89.2%, respectively). Exopolysaccharide production (4.13-50.33 mg/mL) was observed in all strains except for 182a. No antimicrobial activity was detected against E. coli ATCC 25922. All strains experienced high sensitivity to erythromycin while showing resistance to vancomycin. In conclusion, L. plantarum strains obtained in this study can befurther investigated for describe other probiotic features and may be used for the production of new probiotic products to provide sufficient therapies in further studies.