In vitro analysis of probiotic strain combinations to inhibit pathogen adhesion to human intestinal mucus

Competition with pathogens for adhesion and colonization of the mucosal surfaces are possible protective mechanisms of probiotics. In this study we evaluated the ability of commercial strains (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, L. rhamnosus LC705, B. breve 99 and Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp. shermanii JS) each strain alone and in different combinations to inhibit, displace and compete with selected pathogens in order to test the influence of the presence of the other probiotic in the adhesion pathogens to immobilized mucus. The ability to inhibit the adhesion or to displace adhered pathogens was variable depending on both the probiotic combination and the pathogen tested. Our results demonstrate that different probiotic combinations were able to enhance the inhibition percentages to pathogen adhesion to intestinal mucus. All probiotic combinations tested in this study showed inhibition abilities against pathogen infection with values which were over 40% for some pathogens tested. Combinations had specific properties and inhibition abilities against some or all of the tested pathogens. These results suggest that combinations of probiotics strains could be useful and more effective in inhibition of pathogen adhesion. The inhibition and displacement profiles were very different suggesting that different mechanisms are implied in both processes. Selection of new probiotic combinations should be conducted for specific target pathogens or pathogen associated microbiota aberrancies.