Affiliation:
1. Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research, 1796 Yaho, Kunitachi, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan
Abstract
ABSTRACT
We investigated whether oral administration of
Lactobacillus casei
strain Shirota to neonatal and infant mice ameliorates influenza virus (IFV) infection in the upper respiratory tract and protects against influenza infection. In a model of upper respiratory IFV infection, the titer of virus in the nasal washings of infant mice administered
L. casei
Shirota (
L. casei
Shirota group) was significantly (
P
< 0.05) lower than that in infant mice administered saline (control group) (10
2.48
± 10
0.31
and 10
2.78
± 10
0.4
, respectively). Further, the survival rate of the
L. casei
Shirota group was significantly (
P
< 0.05) higher than that of the control group (14.3 versus 40.0%). One day after infection, pulmonary NK cell activity and interleukin-12 production by mediastinal lymph node cells of mice in the
L. casei
Shirota group were significantly greater than those of mice in the control group. These findings suggest that oral administration of
L. casei
Shirota activates the immature immune system of neonatal and infant mice and protects against IFV infection. Therefore, oral administration of
L. casei
Shirota may accelerate the innate immune response of the respiratory tract and protect against various respiratory infections in neonates, infants, and children, a high risk group for viral and bacterial infections.
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Subject
Microbiology (medical),Clinical Biochemistry,Immunology,Immunology and Allergy
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