Characterization of a Panela cheese with added probiotics and fava bean starch

Of 20 Lactobacillus and 8 Bifidobacterium species examined, only Bifidobacterium breve ATCC 15700 was able to ferment starch from fava beans. Bifidobacterium breve ATCC 15700 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ATCC 53103 were selected as probiotics for use in fresh-style Panela cheese. Two types of fresh cheese (with and without 3% fava bean starch) were manufactured with 3 combinations of probiotics: L. rhamnosus GG only, B. breve only, or both L. rhamnosus GG and B. breve. During 4 wk of storage at 4°C, the addition of fava bean starch to the cheese was not found to cause significant differences in the viability of either probiotic strain. However, the microstructure and texture of Panela cheese were altered, resulting in a much softer product. A sensory panel showed that the presence of added fava bean starch in Panela cheese was less desirable to consumers, whereas probiotic supplementation had no effect on perceived taste or appearance. Panela cheese could be a suitable food for inclusion of probiotic bacteria.     

Short communication: effect of exopolysaccharide isolated from "viili" on the adhesion of probiotics and pathogens to intestinal mucus

The strong ropy character of the Scandinavian fermented milk viili is conferred by the exopolysaccharides (EPS) produced by lactococcal strains. These biopolymers can be responsible for some health benefits. We have assessed the influence of the EPS fraction isolated from commercial viili on the adhesion of some probiotics and pathogens to human intestinal mucus. Concentrations of viili EPS greater than 0.1 mg/mL promoted a decrease in adherence of Bifidobacterium lactis Bb12 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and this effect was dose-dependent. However, no modifications were detected on the adhesion levels of the pathogenic strains tested at a concentration of 1 mg/mL of EPS. Results obtained in the present work should be considered in the design of new probiotic products.     

The influence of probiotic bacteria on the properties of Iranian white cheese

The viability of Bifidobacterium animalis (ATCC 25527) and Lactobacillus rhamnosus (ATCC 7469), study of interaction between probiotic and starter and their effect on the properties of Iranian white cheese were investigated during 60 days of ripening. The results indicated that probiotics did not exert any effect on the growth of commercial starters, but starters showed a synergistic effect on the growth of probiotics, and probiotics survived above the recommended level for the therapeutic minimum (10⁶–10⁷ cfu/g) after 60 days. Addition of probiotic adjunct did not alter the chemical composition except for moisture and protein. Also, the highest pH value was in probiotic cheeses without starter.     

Assessment of adhesion properties of novel probiotic strains to human intestinal mucus

Potential new probiotic strains Lactobacillus brevis PELI, L. reuteri ING1, L. rhamnosus VTT E-800 and L. rhamnosus LC-705 were assessed for their adhesion properties using the human intestinal mucus model. The effect on the adhesion of exposure to acid and pepsin and to milk were tested to simulate gastric and food processing conditions, and the effect of different growth media on adhesion was tested. The properties of the four strains were compared to the well-investigated probiotic L. rhamnosus strain GG. Three of the tested strains showed significant adhesion properties in the mucus model, while L. brevis PELI had intermediate adhesion and L. rhamnosus LC-705 adhered poorly. Pretreatment with different milks decreased the adhesion and low pH and pepsin treatment reduced the adhesion of all tested strains except L. rhamnosus LC-705. No competitive exclusion of pathogenic Salmonella typhimurium or Escherichia coli SfaII was observed. The results indicate that major differences exist between tested proposed probiotic strains. The growth media and the food matrix significantly affect the adhesive ability of the tested strains. This has previously not been taken into account when selecting novel probiotic strains.     

Adhesive and chemokine stimulatory properties of potentially probiotic Lactobacillus strains

Five Lactobacillus plantarum strains and two Lactobacillus johnsonii strains, stemming either from African traditionally fermented milk products or children's feces, were investigated for probiotic properties in vitro. The relationship between the hydrophobic-hydrophilic cell surface and adhesion ability to HT29 intestinal epithelial cells was investigated, and results indicated that especially the L. johnsonii strains, which exhibited both hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface characteristics, adhered well to HT29 cells. Four L. plantarum and two L. johnsonii strains showed high adherence to HT29 cells, generally higher than that of the probiotic control strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. Most strains with high adhesion ability also showed high autoaggregation ability. The two L. johnsonii strains coaggregated well with the intestinal pathogens Listeria monocytogenes Scott A, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium ATCC 14028. The L. plantarum BFE 1685 and L. johnsonii 6128 strains furthermore inhibited the adhesion of at least two of these intestinal pathogens in coculture with HT29 cells in a strain-dependent way. These two potential probiotic strains also significantly increased interleukin-8 (IL-8) chemokine production by HT29 cells, although modulation of other cytokines, such as IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), did not occur. Altogether, our results suggested that L. plantarum BFE 1685 and L. johnsonii BFE 6128 showed good adherence, coaggregated with pathogens, and stimulated chemokine production of intestinal epithelial cells, traits that may be considered promising for their development as probiotic strains.     

Immune System Stimulation by Probiotic Microorganisms

Probiotic organisms are claimed to offer several functional properties including stimulation of immune system. This review is presented to provide detailed informations about how probiotics stimulate our immune system. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Lactobacillus casei Shirota, Bifidobacterium animalis Bb-12, Lactobacillus johnsonii La1, Bifidobacterium lactis DR10, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii are the most investigated probiotic cultures for their immunomodulation properties. Probiotics can enhance nonspecific cellular immune response characterized by activation of macrophages, natural killer (NK) cells, antigen-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, and the release of various cytokines in strain-specific and dose-dependent manner. Mixture and type (gram-positive and gram-negative) of probiotic organisms may induce different cytokine responses. Supplementation of probiotic organisms in infancy could help prevent immune-mediated diseases in childhood, whereas their intervention in pregnancy could affect fetal immune parameters, such as cord blood interferon (IFN)-γ levels, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 levels, and breast milk immunoglobulin (Ig)A. Probiotics that can be delivered via fermented milk or yogurt could improve the gut mucosal immune system by increasing the number of IgA⁺ cells and cytokine-producing cells in the effector site of the intestine.     

Chemical, physical and enzymatic pre-treatments of probiotic lactobacilli alter their adhesion to human intestinal mucus glycoproteins

Intestinal mucus glycoproteins extracted from faeces of healthy adult subjects were used as a substratum for bacterial adhesion to investigate the effects of physical, chemical and enzymatic pre-treatments of the bacteria on their adhesion. The strains studied were Lactobacillus acidophilus 1 (LCI, Nestlé), L. rhamnosus strain GG (ATCC 53103), L. rhamnosus LC-705, and L. casei strain Shirota (Yakult, Yakult Ltd). Hereafter the strains are referred to as LA1, LGG, LC-705, and Shirota, respectively. Strains LA1 and LGG adhered greatly whereas the adhesion of strains LC-705 and Shirota to intestinal mucus glycoproteins was low. Adhesion of LA1 and LGG was reduced by boiling, autoclaving and by pepsin and trypsin treatments suggesting that the bacterial protein structures are essential for their adhesion. Treatment in ethanol and in propanol prior to adhesion significantly increased the adhesion of LA1 and LC-705, respectively. Adhesion of Shirota strain was not altered by any of the treatments.     

Antibiotic susceptibility profiles of new probiotic Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains

The antimicrobial susceptibilities and presence of plasmids in four new probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains, Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 (DR20) HN067, Lactobacillus acidophilus HN017 and Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 (DR10), were determined. Resistance to 18 commonly used antibiotics was assessed by disk diffusion. The three Lactobacillus strains had similar antibiotic susceptibility profiles to those of Lactobacillus plantarum strain HN045 and two commercial probiotic Lactobacillus strains, GG and LA-1. The B. lactis strain HN019 had a similar profile to three commercial probiotic B. lactis strains (Bb12, HN049 and HN098). All 10 strains were sensitive to the Gram-positive spectrum antibiotics erythromycin and novobiocin, the broad-spectrum antibiotics rifampicin, spectinomycin, tetracycline and chloramphenicol and the beta-lactam antibiotics penicillin, ampicillin and cephalothin. By contrast, most strains were resistant to the Gram-negative spectrum antibiotics fusidic acid, nalidixic acid and polymyxin B and the aminoglycosides neomycin, gentamicin, kanamycin and streptomycin. All three L. rhamnosus strains (HN001, HN067 and GG) were resistant to vancomycin and several strains were also resistant to cloxacillin. Of the four new probiotic strains, only L. rhamnosus HN001 contained plasmids; however, a plasmid-free derivative of HN001 had the same antibiotic susceptibility profile as the parent strain.     

Growth of probiotic bacteria and bifidobacteria in a soy yogurt formulation

Soy beverage and cows' milk yogurts were produced with Steptococcus thermophilus (ATCC 4356) and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (IM 025). The drop in pH during fermentation was faster in the soy beverage than in cows' milk, but the final pH values were similar. Yogurts were prepared with a yogurt starter in conjunction with either the probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus johnsonii NCC533 (La-1), Lactobacillus rhamnosus ATCC 53103 (GG) or human derived bifidobacteria. The presence of the probiotic bacteria did not affect the growth of the yogurt strains. Approximately 2 log increases in both L. rhamnosus GG and L. johnsonii La-1 were observed when each was added with the yogurt strains in both cows' milk and the soy beverage. Two of the five bifidobacteria strains grew well in the cows' milk and soy beverage during fermentation with the yogurt bacteria. High pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses showed that the probiotic bacteria and the bifidobacteria were using different sugars to support their growth, depending on whether the bacteria were growing in cows' milk or soy beverage.     

Characterisation of the exopolysaccharide (EPS)-producing Lactobacillus paraplantarum BGCG11 and its non-EPS producing derivative strains as potential probiotics

Traditional fermented foods are the best source for the isolation of strains with specific traits to act as functional starters and to keep the biodiversity of the culture collections. Besides, these strains could be used in the formulation of foods claimed to promote health benefits, i.e. those containing probiotic microorganisms. For the rational selection of strains acting as probiotics, several in vitro tests have been proposed. In the current study, we have characterized the probiotic potential of the strain Lactobacillus paraplantarum BGCG11, isolated from a Serbian soft, white, homemade cheese, which is able to produce a "ropy" exopolysaccharide (EPS). Three novobiocin derivative strains, which have lost the ropy phenotype, were characterized as well in order to determine the putative role of the EPS in the probiotic potential. Under chemically gastrointestinal conditions, all strains were able to survive around 1-2% (10(6)-10(7)cfu/ml cultivable bacteria) only when they were included in a food matrix (1% skimmed milk). The strains were more resistant to acid conditions than to bile salts and gastric or pancreatic enzymes, which could be due to a pre-adaptation of the parental strain to acidic conditions in the cheese habitat. The ropy EPS did not improve the survival of the producing strain. On the contrary, the presence of an EPS layer surrounding the strain BGCG11 hindered its adhesion to the three epithelial intestinal cell lines tested, since the adhesion of the three non-ropy derivatives was higher than the parental one and also than that of the reference strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. Aiming to propose a potential target application of these strains as probiotics, the cytokine production of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was analyzed. The EPS-producing L. paraplantarum BGCG11 strain showed an anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressor profile whereas the non-ropy derivative strains induced higher pro-inflammatory response. In addition, when PBMC were stimulated with increasing concentrations of the purified ropy EPS (1, 10 and 100μg/ml) the cytokine profile was similar to that obtained with the EPS-producing lactobacilli, therefore pointing to a putative role of this biopolymer in its immune response.     

The effect of calcium ions on adhesion and competitive exclusion of Lactobacillus ssp. and E. coli O138

The adhesion abilities of 11 strains of Lactobacillus were determined in vitro using the IPEC-J2 cell line as a model system. Bacteria cultures included the probiotic strains L. rhamnosus GG, L. reuteri ATCC 55730, L. johnsonii NCC 533 and L. reuteri DSM 12246, and new isolates of Lactobacillus ssp. Adhesion was quantified by scintillation counting of radiolabelled bound bacteria. The highest adhesion of 38%, was determined for L. reuteri DSM 12246 followed by L. plantarum Q47 with an adhesion level of 24%. Other strains showed moderate to low binding of less than 16%. Competitive adhesion experiments on IPEC-J2 cells demonstrated that strongly adhesive strains, as L. reuteri DSM 12246 and L. plantarum Q47, significantly reduced the attachment of the less adhesive strains, such as L. rhamnosus GG and L. johnsonii NCC 533, both under condition of co-incubation and in displacement assays, indicating that bacteria may share the same binding sites for attachment to intestinal cells. Furthermore, it was revealed that calcium ions significantly increased the binding of tested lactobacilli to IPEC-J2 cells; and therefore, added calcium may be useful in enhancing the adhesion of normally weakly adhesive probiotic cultures. In contrast, no significant change in adhesion of lactobacilli was observed in the presence of Mg and Zn ions. Displacement assays performed with pathogenic E. coli O138 showed that all tested Lactobacillus strains reduced the attachment of E. coli O138 to IPEC-J2 by more than 2-fold both in the presence and the absence of calcium ions. The strains of Lactobacillus did not differ significantly in the extent of their inhibition of E. coli O138 adhesion, indicating that the reduced adhesion of E. coli O138 was due to steric hindrance of the binding sites rather than to specific interactions.     

The viability of three probiotic organisms grown with yoghurt starter cultures during storage for 21 days at 4°C

This study investigated the viability of probiotic ( Lactobacillus acidophilus LA5, Lactobacillus rhamnosus LBA and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp . lactis BL-04) in milk fermented with Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp . bulgaricus LB340 and Streptococcus thermophilus TAO (yoghurt – Y). Each probiotic strain was grown separately in co-culture with Y and in blends of different combinations. Blends affected fermentation time(s), pH and firmness during storage at 4°C. The product made with Y plus B. animalis subsp . lactis and L. rhamnosus had counts of viable cells at the end of shelf life that met the minimum required to achieve probiotic effect. However, L. acidophilus and L. delbrueckii subsp . bulgaricus were inhibited.     

Effects of bile salt deconjugation by probiotic strains on the survival of antibiotic-resistant foodborne pathogens under simulated gastric conditions

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of bile acid deconjugation by probiotic strains on the antibiotic susceptibility of antibiotic-sensitive and multiple antibiotic-resistant Salmonella Typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus. Eight probiotic strains, Bifidobacterium longum B6, Lactobacillus acidophilus ADH, Lactobacillus brevis KACC 10553, Lactobacillus casei KACC 12413, Lactobacillus paracasei ATCC 25598, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Leuconostoc mesenteroides KACC 12312, and Pediococcus acidilactici KACC 12307, were used to examine bile acid tolerance. The ability to deconjugate bile acids was evaluated using both thin-layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography. The antibiotic susceptibility testing was carried out to determine the synergistic inhibitory activity of deconjugated bile acids. L. acidophilus, L. brevis, and P. acidilactici showed the most tolerance to the conjugated bile acids. P. acidilactici deconjugated glycocholic acid and glycodeoxycholate from 3.18 and 3.09 mM to the detection limits, respectively. The antibiotic susceptibility of selected foodborne pathogens was increased by increasing the concentration of deconjugated bile acids. The study results are useful for understanding the relationship between bile acid deconjugation by probiotic strains and antibiotic susceptibility in the presence of deconjugated bile acids, and they may be useful for designing new probiotic-antibiotic combination therapy based on bile acid deconjugation.     

产胞外多糖乳杆菌的筛选及多糖功能的研究

本论文从大连地区海产品消化腺中筛选产胞外多糖(EPS)的乳杆菌属菌株,并研究其所产EPS的功能特性,选出一株目标菌,对其EPS分离纯化,测定纯化后各多糖组分的相对分子量。获得EPS产量相对较高的菌株经16S r RNA序列测定鉴定为Lactobacillus plantarum subsp.plantarum-4,Lactobacillus plantarum-12,Lactobacillus plantarumsubsp.plantarum-49;对3株植物乳杆菌及其EPS进行清除DPPH自由基的测定,Lactobacillus plantarum-12的EPS浓度为0.5 mg/mL时,清除率为48.82±3.88%,显著高于另外2株菌(p0.05);测定植物乳杆菌的EPS抑制E.coli ATCC25922在HT-29细胞上的粘附效果,Lactobacillus plantarum-12的EPS浓度为0.2mg/mL时,抑制率为78.23%±2.46%,显著高于另外两株菌(p0.05);Lactobacillus plantarum-12的EPS可显著抑制E·coli ATCC25922刺激HT-29细胞产生IL-8(p0.05)。Lactobacillus plantarum-12的EPS经DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow离子交换柱、Sepharose CL-6B凝胶柱和Sephacryl HR S200凝胶柱层析分离得到两组分,测定两组分的相对分子质量分别为8.5×10~4 u和7.4×10~4 u。     

In vitro evaluation of Lactobacillus gasseri strains of infant origin on adhesion and aggregation of specific pathogens

Numerous Lactobacillus species are members of the normal healthy human intestinal microbiota, and members of the Lactobacillus family predominate among the current marketed probiotic strains. Most of the current commercial probiotic strains have not been selected for specific applications but rather have been chosen based on their technological properties. Often the ability of such strains to temporarily colonize the gastrointestinal tract may be lacking, and the interactions with intestinal microbiota are few. Furthermore, the competitive exclusion properties of potential probiotic bacteria are strain specific and vary greatly. Thus, it is highly desirable that new candidate probiotic isolates originate from the healthy target population. In this study, seven newly isolated strains of Lactobacillus gasseri originating from feces of a healthy newborn child were evaluated for their ability to adhere to intestinal mucus, to autoaggregate and coaggregate with the model pathogens Cronobacter sakazakii (ATCC 29544) and Clostridium difficile (1296). All the bacterial strains, single or in combination, in viable and nonviable forms, were able to autoaggregate. The coaggregation with C. sakazakii or C. difficile was higher (P < 0.05) in nonviable than in the viable forms. Single L. gasseri strains showed similar adhesion abilities to intestinal colon mucus. The seven L. gasseri strains when combined were also able to significantly compete with, displace, and inhibit the adhesion of C. sakazakii and C. difficile in the mucus model. This study demonstrates that the studied L. gasseri strains fulfill the basic adhesion and aggregation properties for probiotics and could be considered for potential future use in children.     

A dynamic model that simulates the human upper gastrointestinal tract for the study of probiotics

A dynamic model of the human upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract was designed to better simulate conditions of ingestion and digestion, by including a food matrix as part of the model design. The dynamic model consisted of two reactors maintained at 37 degrees C, one simulating stomach conditions and the other simulating duodenum conditions. The model was tested by comparing survival of bacteria isolated from humans (Bifidobacterium infantis, Lactobacillus johnsonii, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Lactobacillus acidophilus) animals (Bifidobacterium animalis, 2 strains), and fermented dairy products (Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus kefir, Lactobacillus kefirgranum, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides) with their survival as determined by conventional methods. Five strains were not able to survive (>3 log reduction) 15 min in a medium acidified at pH 2.0 using the conventional testing method, but survival was improved significantly for some strains in the dynamic model. Two strains (Bifidobacterium animalis ATCC 25527 and Lactobacillus johnsonii La-1 NCC 533) showed good survival with both methods. The dynamic model was shown to better represent the events during upper GI tract transit than the conventional methods, by incorporation of a food matrix to buffer the gastric acidity and therefore expose bacteria to pH levels found in vivo before, during, and after a meal.     

两种益生菌发酵促使牛骨粉中钙转化的比较研究

选用鼠李糖乳杆菌、婴儿双歧杆菌发酵牛骨粉。采用L9(34)正交试验设计,对蔗糖添加量、接种量、骨粉浓度、发酵时间进行筛选。以游离钙转化率为特征性指标探讨发酵条件对游离钙转化率影响的变化规律,并且比较两种益生菌在体外模拟胃肠环境中的活菌数。结果表明：鼠李糖乳杆菌的最适发酵条件为蔗糖添加量11%、接种量3%、骨粉浓度5g/100ml、发酵时间72h,婴儿双歧杆菌的最适发酵条件为蔗糖添加量8%,接种量5%、骨粉浓度10g/100ml、发酵时间72h;鼠李糖乳杆菌对牛骨粉中钙的转化率达32.0%,约为婴儿双歧杆菌的3倍;发酵时间是影响游离钙转化率的重要因素;鼠李糖乳杆菌活在模拟胃、肠液中的菌率是分别婴儿双歧杆菌的10.38、16.35倍。     

筛选具有抑制引起腹泻致病菌黏附功能的益生菌

筛选能够抑制引起腹泻致病菌黏附的益生菌,并且对其适应肠道环境:耐酸、耐胆盐和黏附性能进行评价。从中国西部地区传统发酵食品以及人类粪便样品中分离的14株益生菌作为筛选菌株。对这14株益生菌进行抑制致病菌黏附的筛选,最终筛选出7株使致病菌黏附数量降低到1.5×104CFU/m L的益生菌进行耐受肠道环境能力评价。实验结果显示这7株益生菌在p H2的条件下处理90min后存活的益生菌依然能够达到107CFU/m L左右,在0.3%的胆盐环境中处理2h后菌数降低到原来的百分之一,单层细胞上黏附的益生菌数J5、G15和F0533能够达到106CFU/m L,显示出了较强的黏附能力。经过综合分析筛选出F0533、IN4125、G15、J5和M7益生菌,经16S r DNA基因技术鉴定分别为Lactobacillus rhamnosus、Lactobacillus rhamnosus、Lactobacillus paracasei、Lactobacillus casei和Lactobacillus paracasei。      

Use of tuf gene-based primers for the PCR detection of probiotic Bifidobacterium species and enumeration of bifidobacteria in fermented milk by cultural and quantitative real-time PCR methods

Due to the increasing use of bifidobacteria in probiotic products, it is essential to establish a rapid method for the qualitative and quantitative assay of the bifidobacteria in commercial products. In this study, partial sequences of the tuf gene for 18 Bifidobacterium strains belonging to 14 species were determined. Alignment of these sequences showed that the similarities among these Bifidobacterium species were 82.24% to 99.72%. Based on these tuf gene sequences, 6 primer sets were designed for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay of B. animalis subsp. animalis, B. animalis subsp. lactis, B. bifidum, B. breve, B. longum subsp. infantis, B. longum subsp. longum, and the genus of Bifidobacterium, respectively. These Bifidobacterium species are common probiotic species present in dairy and probiotic products. When each target Bifidobacterium spp. was assayed with the designed primers, PCR product with expected size was generated. In addition, for each target species, more than 70 bacterial strains other than the target species, including strains of other Bifidobacterium species, strains of Lactobacillus spp., Enterococcus spp., and other bacterial species, all generated negative results. PCR assay with primers specific to B. animalis subsp. lactis and B. longum subsp. longum confirmed the presence of these Bifidobacterium species in commercial yogurt products. In addition, for each product, enumeration of the bifidobacteria cells by culture method with BIM-25 agar and the quantitative real-time PCR showed similar cell counts. Such results indicated that within 15-d storage (4 °C) after manufacture, all the bifidobacteria cells originally present in yogurt products were viable and culturable during the storage.     

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.