Effect of Feeding Lactobacilli on the Coliform and Lactobacillus Flora of Intestinal Tissue and Feces from Piglets1

Development of fecal Lactobacillus and coliform in healthy newborn pigs during the first 48 h after birth was studied. Lactobacilli were detected (104 per g) in the feces of newborn pigs as early as 4 h after birth and colifroms by 8 h (105 per g). By 24 h the two types were present in near equal numbers (104 to 105/g). A frozen concentrate of a human isolate of Lactobacillus lactis was fed to piglet litters (8 to 10 animals per litter) from the time of their birth. Bottle feeding resulted in reduced fecal coliforms in nursing pigs but lactobacilli were not increased in number. After 54 days of treatment, the Lactobacillus to coliform ratio (L/C) was 1280:1; in control pigs not fed lactobacilli, the ratio was 2: 1. A continued suppression of coliforms was observed for 30 days after treatment was discontinued. The influence of Lactobacillus on the bacterial flora of the gastrointestinal tract was studied. With scouring pigs, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EEC) were present in larger numbers in tissue h...