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Effects of Enterococcus faecalis CECT 7121 on Cryptosporidium parvum infection in mice

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Abstract

Cryptosporidium is an opportunistic protozoan parasite of humans and animals worldwide and causes diarrheal disease that is typically self-limiting in immunocompetent hosts but often life threatening to immunocompromised individuals. However, there is a lack of completely efficient therapy available. Probiotics have attracted the attention as potential antiparasite compounds against protozoa involved in intestinal infections. This study investigated the effects of administration of probiotic Enterococcus faecalis CECT 7121 on Cryptosporidium parvum infection in immunosuppressed mice. Effects on C. parvum infection at the intestinal mucosa were studied and scored at each portion of the gut. It was demonstrated that Ef CECT 7121 interfered with C. parvum infection when both probiotic and parasite were present in the same intestinal location suggesting that Ef CECT 7121 supplementation can alleviate the negative effects of C. parvum infection.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Universidad Nacional de La Plata.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Estudios Microbiológicos y Parasitológicos (CUDEMyP), Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, 60 y 120, La Plata, 1900, Argentina

    Valeria F. Del Coco, Mónica D. Sparo, Juan Angel Basualdo & María Alejandra Córdoba

  2. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Valeria F. Del Coco

  3. Cátedra de Patología B, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Alicia Sidoti

  4. Environmental Microbial and Food Safety Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD, USA

    Mónica Santín

  5. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    María Alejandra Córdoba

Authors
  1. Valeria F. Del Coco
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  2. Mónica D. Sparo
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  3. Alicia Sidoti
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  4. Mónica Santín
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  5. Juan Angel Basualdo
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  6. María Alejandra Córdoba
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Valeria F. Del Coco.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

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Del Coco, V.F., Sparo, M.D., Sidoti, A. et al. Effects of Enterococcus faecalis CECT 7121 on Cryptosporidium parvum infection in mice. Parasitol Res 115, 3239–3244 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-016-5087-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-016-5087-1

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