Influence of Bacillus subtilis C-3102 on microbiota in a dynamic in vitro model of the gastrointestinal tract simulating human conditions

Survival and germination rate of Bacillus subtilis C-3102 spores were investigated in a stomach and small intestine model (TIM-1), while the impact of C-3102 cells that had passed through TIM-1 on human colon microbiota was evaluated in a model of the large intestine (TIM-2). The survival of C-3102 spores in TIM-1 was 99%; 8% of the spores had germinated. Effluent of TIM-1 was subsequently introduced into TIM-2 and a micro-array platform was employed to assess changes in the microbiota composition. The effluent, which contained germinated C-3102 cells, increased some Bifidobacterium species and decreased some Clostridium groups. These changes were greater compared to those obtained by adding C-3102 spores directly to TIM-2. The present study suggests that oral doses of B. subtilis C-3102 spores have the potential to modulate the human colon microbiota. This effect may be caused by germination of the spores in the gastrointestinal tract. © 2012 Wageningen Academic Publishers.