Antimicrobial effects of Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus acidophilus against multidrug-resistant enteroaggregative Escherichia coli

Abstract The in vitro and in vivo antimicrobial effects of Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus acidophilus were evaluated individually and synergistically against multidrug-resistant enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (MDR-EAEC). In vitro evaluation of each probiotic strain when co-cultured with MDR-EAEC isolates revealed a reduction in MDR-EAEC counts (eosin–methylene blue agar) in a dose- and time-dependent manner: probiotics at a dose rate of 10 10  CFU inhibited MDR-EAEC isolates at 72 h post-inoculation (PI), whereas at lower concentrations (10 8 and 10 9  CFU) MDR-EAEC isolates were inhibited at 96 h PI. The synergistic antimicrobial effect of both probiotic strains (each at 10 10  CFU) was highly significant ( P 7  CFU of MDR-EAEC. At Day 3 post-infection, treated mice were fed orally with the probiotic strains (each at 10 10  CFU). Compared with the control, post-treatment a significant ( P