In vitro adhesion of lactic acid bacteria to canine small intestinal mucus

Selected probiotic lactic acid bacteria have several documented health effects. For many of these health effects, adhesion to the intestinal mucosa is of primary importance. In the current study, the adhesive ability to canine small intestinal mucus of four lactic acid bacteria intended for human use, two for animal use and two strains isolated from dogs was assessed. The strains for human use were specifically chosen because they have documented health effects and have been proven to be safe. One strain for human use, Lactobacillus rhamnosus (ATCC 53103), was found to adhere significantly better than all other strains. Pretreatment of the strains with canine jejunal chyme, to simulate digestion, dramatically reduced the adhesion of all strains tested. However, three of the strains intended for human use were still adhering better than the strains from animal origin. The results show that probiotic strains from human origin and intended for human use also adhere to canine intestinal mucus. This warrants further investigation of these strains for use in dogs.