Evidence for the colonization of lactic acid bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract of suckling mink.

Lactic acid bacteria are considered indigenous members of the gastrointestinal microflora in a number of animal species ( 1977a). Some intestinal strains of lactobacilli and streptococci are aWe to adhere to stratified squamous epithelium of some animals ( 1987), in the non-secreting part of the stomach of piglets ( 1980, 1978) and rodents ( 1982), and in the crop of poultry ( 1978). The presence of lactic acid bacteria in the digestive tract is believed to be of beneficial value to the host animal ( 1989). The production of organic acids in the stomach or the crop helps maintaining a low pH which may be important for inhibiting the colonization of potentially pathogenic bacteria, particularly in the newborn animal ( 1980, 1977, 1978). The adhesion of lactobacilli to squamous epithelium is host specific: strains capable of adhering to the epithelium of piglets are usually not able to adhere in rodents or poultry and vice versa ( 1978, 1984, 1982). Adhesion of lactic acid bacterial strains to other epithelia than stratified squamous epithelium has been reported. Thus, the attachment of lactobacilli to cells from the secreting epithelium of the murine stomach ( 1979), to intestinal cells of humans ( 1987), and to columnar epithelial cells of piglets and calves ( 1983) has been demonstrated using in vitro methods. In another study the in vivo attachment of to duodenal epithelium of gnotobi-otic chickens was demonstrated 1981). Recent research indicated that in adult mink lactic acid bacteria are not indigenous members of the intestinal flora, and they do not attach to epithelium in any part of the gastrointestinal tract ( 1992). The present paper presents evidence that Gram positive cocci may colonize the gut of suckling mink kits and attach to the gut mucosa.