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Experimental study of the effects of probiotics on Cryptosporidium parvum infection in neonatal rats

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Abstract

To date, there is no efficient treatment for cryptosporidiosis and parasite eradication relies on innate and acquired immunity. In this study, we investigated the effect of administration of probiotic bacteria on the development and progression of the experimental infection in suckling rats. Rats were fed daily with 2.107 CFU of Lactobacillus casei-containing mixture, starting 2 days before the infection until the spontaneous clearance of the parasite. Effects on weight gain, parasite burden, mucosal histology and production of mucosal cytokines (IFNγ, IL10 and TNFα) were studied. Although a trend to a more rapid clearance of parasites was noted in rats treated with probiotics, no significant effect of probiotics administration was observed in terms of weight gain, parasite burden, mucosal damage, or kinetics of mucosal cytokines during the course of infection. Overall, our results showed that the daily administration of L. casei-containing mixtures was unable to eradicate the parasite in our model.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Stéphanie Belhadj and Luc Legrès (Service Commun de Pathologie des Modèles Animaux, IFR 105, hôpital Saint-Louis) for histological analysis and of Dr. Annie Sulahian for critical reading of this manuscript. All the experiments presented in this study comply with the current laws in France.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Parasitologie–Mycologie, Faculté de Médecine Paris 7, 15 rue de l’Ecole de Médecine, 75006, Paris, France

    Juliette Guitard, Jean Menotti & Francis Derouin

  2. Laboratoire de Parasitologie–Mycologie, Hôpital Saint-Louis, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, 1 avenue Claude Vellefaux, 75010, Paris, France

    Jean Menotti & Francis Derouin

  3. INSERM U728, Université Paris 7 et Hôpital Saint-Louis, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, 1 avenue Claude Vellefaux, 75010, Paris, France

    Allison Desveaux

  4. Laboratoire de Biologie Animale et Parasitaire, UFR des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques Paris 5, 4 avenue de l’Observatoire, 75006, Paris, France

    Parissa Alimardani & Nathalie Kapel

  5. Département de Biostatistique et Informatique Médicale, INSERM U717, Université Paris 7 et Hôpital Saint-Louis, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, 1 avenue Claude Vellefaux, 75010, Paris, France

    Raphaël Porcher

  6. Laboratoire de Biologie Animale et Parasitaire, UFR des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, 4 avenue de l’Observatoire, 75006, Paris, France

    Nathalie Kapel

  7. Laboratoire de Coprologie Fonctionnelle, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, 47-89 boulevard de l’Hôpital, 75013, Paris, France

    Nathalie Kapel

Authors
  1. Juliette Guitard
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  2. Jean Menotti
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  3. Allison Desveaux
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  4. Parissa Alimardani
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  5. Raphaël Porcher
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  6. Francis Derouin
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  7. Nathalie Kapel
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Correspondence to Nathalie Kapel.

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Guitard, J., Menotti, J., Desveaux, A. et al. Experimental study of the effects of probiotics on Cryptosporidium parvum infection in neonatal rats. Parasitol Res 99, 522–527 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-006-0181-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-006-0181-4

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