Beneficial Effect of Bifidobacterium longum ATCC 15707 on Survival Rate of Clostridium difficile Infection in Mice.

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the main cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea that can cause colitis or even death. The medical-treatment cost and deaths caused by CDI are increasing annually worldwide. New approaches for prevention and treatment of these infections are needed, such as the use of probiotics. Probiotics, including Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus, are microorganisms that confer a health benefit to the host when administered in adequate amounts. The effect of Bifidobacterium longum ATCC 15707 on infectious disease caused by C. difficile 027 was investigated in a mouse model. The survival rates for mice given the pathogen alone, and with live cells, or dead cells of B. longum were 40, 70, and 60%, respectively. In addition, the intestinal tissues of the B. longum-treated group maintained structural integrity with some degree of damage. These findings suggested that B. longum ATCC 15707 has a function in repressing the infectious disease caused by C. difficile 027.