Enhancement of host resistance againstSalmonella typhimuriuminfection by a diet supplemented with yogurt

The effect of a diet supplemented with yogurt containing live lactobacilli (LAB) - Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus - on the response of inbred mice to infection with Salmonella typhimurium was elaborated. The results of our experiments were consistent with the hypothesis that modifications of the microflora influence the adherence of S. typhimurium to intestinal mucosa, the natural antibacterial activity of the Peyer's patches lymphocytes, the accumulation of the macrophages in the liver, the proliferative responses of the splenocytes. The relationship between modifications of the immune response following ingestion of yogurt with live LAB and increased defense mechanisms was confirmed by the bacterial counts in livers and spleens and by the reduced mortality to S. typhimurium infection.