IM96 Exerts Protective Effects against Enterohemorrhagic O157:H7 Infection In Vivo.

Enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) is a notorious and prevalent foodborne pathogen which can cause serious intestinal diseases. The antagonistic activity of probiotics against EHEC is promising, but most of the studies concerning this subject have been carried out in vitro. Specifically, the interaction between and EHEC O157:H7 in vivo has not been reported yet. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of IM96 on EHEC O157:H7-infected female mice in vivo. The results demonstrated that IM96 reduced the level of pro-inflammatory factors and increased the level of anti-inflammatory factors of EHEC O157:H7-infected mice. Furthermore, IM96 alleviated intestinal mucosal damage and increased the level of MUC-2, tight junction (TJ) proteins, and short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). The intestinal microbial community structure and the diversity and richness of the microbiota were also changed by IM96 treatment. In summary, IM96 exerted protective effects against EHEC O157:H7 via alleviating intestinal inflammation, strengthening the intestinal barrier function, and regulating intestinal microbiota, suggesting that IM96 might serve as a potential microbial agent to prevent and treat intestinal diseases caused by EHEC O157:H7 infection in the future.