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Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, January 2003, p. 169-173, Vol. 10, No. 1
1071-412X/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.10.1.169-173.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Assessment of Safety of Lactobacillus Strains Based on Resistance to Host Innate Defense Mechanisms

Takashi Asahara,1 Masatoshi Takahashi,1 Koji Nomoto,1* Hiroo Takayama,1 Masaharu Onoue,1 Masami Morotomi,1 Ryuichiro Tanaka,1 Teruo Yokokura,1 and Naoya Yamashita2

Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research, 1796 Yaho, Kunitachi, Tokyo 186-8650,1 Department of Pediatrics of the School of Medicine, Keio University, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan2

Received 24 June 2002/ Returned for modification 2 August 2002/ Accepted 1 October 2002

Seven Lactobacillus strains belonging to four species were evaluated for pathogenicity as well as for in vitro sensitivity to the bactericidal mechanisms of macrophages in a rabbit infective endocarditis (IE) model. Two bacteremia-associated strains, L. rhamnosus PHLS A103/70 and L. casei PHLS A357/84, as well as the L. rhamnosus type strain and the probiotic L. rhamnosus strain ATCC 53103, showed moderate infectivity, and the virulence of the probiotic L. casei strain Shirota and type strains such as L. acidophilus ATCC 4356T and L. gasseri DSM 20243T in the model was negligible. The strains that showed pathogenic potential in the rabbit IE model (PHLS A357/84, PHLS A103/70, and ATCC 53103) were more resistant than strain Shirota to intracellular killing activity by mouse macrophages in vitro and also to bactericidal nitrogen intermediates, such as nitric oxide and NO2- ions. These results suggest that resistance to host innate defense systems, which would function at inflammatory lesions, should be considered in the safety assessment of Lactobacillus strains.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: 1796 Yaho, Kunitachi, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan. Phone: 81-42-577-8960. Fax: 81-42-577-3020. E-mail: koji-nomoto{at}yakult.co.jp.

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, January 2003, p. 169-173, Vol. 10, No. 1
1071-412X/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.10.1.169-173.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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