Action of phosphorylated mannanoligosaccharides on immune and hematological responses and fecal consistency of dogs experimentally infected with enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains

Abstract

The therapeutic action of phosphorylated mannanoligosaccharides (MOS) was investigated regarding its prebiotic activity on enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC). Diarrhea was induced in dogs by experimental infection with EPEC strains. Then MOS was supplied once a day, in water for 20 days. Immunological (IgA and IgG), hematological (lymphocytes, neutrophils and monocytes) and bacteriological variables (PCR detection of the eae gene of EPEC recovered from stool culture), as well as occurrence of diarrhea were evaluated. All strains caused diarrhea at 24, 48 and 72 h after infection. PCR results indicated that E. coli isolated from stool culture of all infected animals had the eae gene. There was no significant difference among groups as to number of blood cells in the hemogram and IgA and IgG production. MOS was effective in recovering of EPEC-infected dogs since prebiotic-treated animals recovered more rapidly from infection than untreated ones (p < 0.05). This is an important finding since diarrhea causes intense dehydration and nutrient loss. The use of prebiotics for humans and other animals with diarrhea can be an alternative for the treatment and prophylaxis of EPEC infections.

Expert consensus document: The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of prebiotics

“…They are non ruminants with short, simple gastrointestinal tracts that have little capacity to ferment non digestible substances, which predominantly occurs in the colon 126 . Nevertheless, some health benefits have been achieved with prebiotic administration such as reduced infections, improved insulin sensitivity and better faecal consistency [127][128][129][130][131] .…”

Intake of indigestible carbohydrates influences IgA response and polymeric Ig receptor expression in the rat submandibular gland

“…In the present study, we focused on indigestible carbohydrates, which can increase IgA concentrations in the intestinal tract ( 2 , 3 , 6 , 20 – 23 ) . We hypothesized that indigestible carbohydrates may increase IgA expression not only in the intestinal tract but also in the salivary gland.…”

Prebiotics – an added benefit of some fibre types

“…; Gouveia et al . ). Inulin‐type fructans have been noted to impact upon gut immune markers (Vogt et al .…”

“…Direct interaction between prebiotics and the immune system has been suggested (Vos et al 2007). Animal and in vitro studies have indicated that prebiotics can not only stimulate the growth of bifidobacteria but also provide protection against infection by opportunistic pathogens, such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica, by preventing their adhesion to the gut mucosa and invasion into tissues (Tzortzis et al 2005;Apanavicius et al 2007;Searle et al 2009;Gouveia et al 2013). Inulin-type fructans have been noted to impact upon gut immune markers (Vogt et al 2015), although the evidence in humans is very limited, and there is some evidence that consumption of prebiotics may prevent acute infections in young children (Lohner et al 2014;Luoto et al 2014).…”