Lactobacillus- Spezies, die zur Gattung der Milchsäurebakterien gehören, haben bereits hemmende Eigenschaften gegen Candida albicans gezeigt. Dieser dimorphe Hefepilz ist einer der bedeutendsten Erreger von Pilzinfektionen beim Menschen und einer der häufigsten Verursacher Katheter- assoziierter Infektionen. Eine bedeutende Rolle bei der Pathogenität von C. albicans spielt die Biofilmbildung, die sowohl die körpereigene Abwehr als auch die antimykotische Therapie einer invasiven Infektion erheblich erschwert. Zu den Virulenzfaktoren zählt eine Vielzahl von Genen, darunter auch die sekretorischen Aspartylproteasen (SAPs), die zur Infektion sowohl in vitro als auch in vivo beitragen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde der Einfluss verschiedener Lactobacillus- Stämme auf die Biofilmbildung des invasiv pathogenen C. albicans SC 5314 und des in der Pathogenität abgeschwächten Stammes ATCC 10231 untersucht, sowohl phänotypisch als auch hinsichtlich der metabolischen Aktivität durch den semi- quantitativen XTT- Reduktions- Assay. Zudem erfolgten Expressionsanalysen ausgewählter Gene von C. albicans, deren Zusammenhang mit der Biofilmbildung und Pathogenität bekannt ist. Dabei konnte gezeigt werden, dass L. johnsonii DSM 10533 die metabolische Aktivität beider C. albicans- Stämme erheblich verringern kann (um bis zu 80%) und auch einen phänotypisch drastisch reduzierten Biofilm verursacht. In Anwesenheit dieses Stammes kam es zu stark verringerter Aktivität der beobachteten SAP- Gene vor allem des invasiven Stammes C. albicans SC 5314. Andere Pathogenitäts- assoziierte Gene wie Als 3 und Hwp 1 wurden dagegen eher hochreguliert. L. rhamnosus DSM 20021 und ein klinisches Isolat verursachten ebenfalls eine Verringerung der metabolischen Aktivität, sorgten phänotypisch aber eher für vermehrte Hyphenbildung des Pilzes. Ersterer verursachte eine deutlich reduzierte Aktivität von Hwp 1 und Ume 6 bei C. albicans ATCC 10231. L. reuteri DSM 20016 zeigte keinen signifikanten Einfluss auf Biofilmbildung, Aktivität und Genexpression der beobachteten C. albicans- Stämme. Diese Ergebnisse zeigen deutlich, dass unterschiedliche Lactobacillus- Stämme sich in ihrem Einfluss auf C. albicans erheblich unterscheiden. Auch die Reaktion verschiedener C. albicans- Stämme auf Lactobacillus- Spezies ist sehr verschieden. In dieser Arbeit zeigte L. johnsonii DSM 10533 ein deutliches Potential, C. albicans in der Biofilmbildung und Expression von Pathogenitätsfaktoren zu hemmen. Dieser Stamm erscheint damit für weiterführende Untersuchungen hinsichtlich probiotischen Potentials geeignet. Die Ergebnisse einer Lactobacillus Spezies können nicht generell auf andere Lactobacillus Spezies übertragen werden. Ob sich innerhalb einer Spezies alle Stämme gleichermaßen verhalten, bedarf ebenfalls der Überprüfung. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit werfen auch die Frage auf, ob Lactobacillus Spezies sogar die Pathogenität von C. albicans erhöhen können.

Con il primo lavoro è stato identificato un tratto fenotipico di un ceppo di L.crispatus associato alla capacità di persistere e colonizzare il colon dell’ospite e di modificarene la composizione microbica, tale L.crispatus M247 è in grado di modificare, nell’epitelio del colon, il livello di espressione dei TLR2 dei TLR4 sia in vitro che in vivo. Con il secondo studio si identifica un meccanismo antinfiammatorio, prima sconosciuto, indotto da un ceppo probiotico che coinvolge l’attivazione di PPAR-γ e fornisce una nuova visuale sui meccanismi molecolari coinvolti nel dialogo tra epitelio intestinale e microbiota simbionte. / The colonic microbiota is a major modulator of the mucosal immune system; therefore, its manipulation through supplementation with probiotics may significantly affect the host’s immune responses. Since different probiotics seem to exert various effects in vivo, we tested the relevance of the autoaggregation phenotype on the intestinal persistence of lactobacilli and their ability to modulate the host’s innate immune responses. After 14 days of diet supplementation, the aggregating strain Lactobacillus crispatus M247 but not aggregation-deficient isogenic mutant MU5 was recovered from the feces and colonic mucosa of mice. This observation was confirmed by strain-specific PCR amplification and by Lactobacillus-specific denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis. Indeed, L. crispatus M247 increased Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) mRNA levels, while it reduced TLR4 mRNA and protein levels in the colonic mucosa, whereas MU5 was ineffective. In colonic epithelial cells (CMT-93 cells) L. crispatus M247 but not MU5 induced time-dependent extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1 (ERK1) tyrosine phosphorylation and TLR modulation, which were abolished in the presence of PD98059 (an ERK1 inhibitor). To assess the functional relevance of probiotic-induced TLR modulation, we determined the consequences of L. crispatus preexposure on TLR4 (lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) and TLR2 [Pam3Cys-Ser-(Lys)4] ligand-mediated effects in intestinal epithelial cells. Preexposure to L. crispatus M247 blunted LPS-induced interleukin-6 (IL-6) release and inhibition of CMT-93 migration over a wound edge, whereas it enhanced TLR2-mediated IL-10 up-regulation. In summary, the aggregation phenotype is required for L. crispatus persistence in the colon and for modulation of TLR2/TLR4 expression through an ERK-dependent pathway. We speculate that the aggregation phenotype in L. crispatus M247 is required to temper epithelial cell responsiveness to bacterial endotoxins, which thus affects the evolution of intestinal inflammatory processes. Accumulating evidence indicates that the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR)- is a major player in maintaining intestinal mucosa homeostasis, but whether PPAR- is directly involved in probiotic-mediated effects and the molecular events involved in its activation are not known. Methods: We investigated the role of PPAR- in the immunomodulatory effects of Lactobacillus crispatus M247 on intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) and the role of probiotic-derived H2O2 on PPAR- activity. Results: L crispatus M247 supplementation in mice significantly increased PPAR- levels and transcriptional activity in the colonic mucosa. L crispatus M247 induced PPAR- nuclear translocation and enhanced transcriptional activity in epithelial (CMT-93) cells, as demonstrated by the increased luciferase activity of a PPAR- –responsive element, PPAR- – responsive gene up-regulation, and reduced activity of an nuclear factor- B–responsive element. Pharmacologic PPAR- inhibition or silencing by small interfering RNA cancelled the L crispatus M247–mediated effects in CMT-93 cells. Because Lactobacillus strains producing little H2O2 failed to activate PPAR- , we investigated the role of L crispatus M247– derived H2O2 in PPAR- activation. L crispatus M247 induced a transient rise in intracellular H2O2 and PPAR- transcriptional activity was cancelled by antioxidant or H2O2 scavenger. Toll-like receptor (TLR)-2 was not required for PPAR- up-regulation mediated by L crispatus M247 in mice, although the protective effects of L crispatus M247 on dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis were less pronounced in TLR-2 / mice. Conclusions: L crispatus M247 uses H2O2 as a signal transducing molecule to induce PPAR- activation in IEC, directly modulating epithelial cell responsiveness to inflammatory stimuli.

Entrotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) K88 is a causative agent of post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) in early-weaned pigs. This study investigated the efficacy of two alternative diets, charcoal (0.1, 0.5, 1, and 2%) and a low crude protein (CP) diet (17%) supplemented with probiotic E. coli strains (UM2 and UM7), against PWD infection in ETEC K88 challenged piglets. The present study found that charcoal had no effect on the challenged piglets’ performance, ileal and colonic microbiota or their fermentation end products. There was, however, a correlation between charcoal dosage and fecal consistency score. Charcoal reduced the ileal mucosal attached ETEC K88. Feeding a low-CP diet resulted in a lower ileal ammonia concentration. The low-CP diet reduced the E. coli populations in the ileal digesta as well as lowered mRNA expression of the IL-1ß. We concluded that the use of both 1-2% charcoal diet and a low-CP diet supplemented with probiotic E. coli strains were effective in reducing the incidence and severity of PWD infection.

Darbo tikslas: ištirti probiotikų įtaką melžiamų karvių produktyvumui, produkcijos rodikliams ir sveikatingumui. Darbo uždaviniai: 1. Įvertinti probiotiko Probio - active įtaką melžiamų karvių pieno primilžiui ir pieno rodikliams. 2. Įvertinti probiotiko įtaką melžiamų karvių kraujo morfologiniams rodikliams. 3. Įvertinti probiotiko įtaką melžiamų karvių didžiojo prieskrandžio fermentaciniams procesams. Tyrimo metodika: tyrimas buvo atliekamas kooperatinėje bendrovėje „Blauzdžių agroservisas“, 2013 metų birželio – spalio mėnesiais. Bandymo metu buvo suformuotos dvi grupės melžiamų karvių: kontrolinė ir bandomoji, po 115 Lietuvos juodmargių veislės melžiamų 2-5 laktacijos karvių kiekvienoje. Kontrolinėje ir bandomojoje grupėse karvės buvo paskirstytos vienodai, atsižvelgiant į jų laktacijų skaičių ir veršiavimosi laiką. Bandomosios grupės karvės su įprastiniu racionu papildomai gavo probiotiko. Į kiekvienos bandomosios grupės karvių kombinuotuosius pašarus, kiekvieną šėrimo dieną individualiai, buvo įmaišoma po 150 ml probiotiko. Bandymas vyko nuo 60-os iki 120-os karvių laktacijos dienos ir truko 60 dienų. Pirmas 30 dienų bandymas vyko tvartiniu laikotarpiu, o paskutines 30 dienų – ganykliniu laikotarpiu . Bandymo metu buvo naudotas probiotikas Probio - active, įmaišytas į racioną normuojant po 150 ml kiekvienai karvei, normą padalinant į dvi dalis ir sušeriant paros laike per du šėrimus. Tyrimo metu mėginiai pieno tyrimams buvo imami bandymo pradžioje, praėjus 60 d., 90 ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Aim: to research the effects of probiotics on dairy cows’ productivity, productions values and the overall health. Objectives: 1. To evaluate the effects Probio – active probiotics toward dairy cows’ yield and milk index. 2. To evaluate the effects of probiotics on dairy cows morphological blood indexes. 3. To evaluate the effects of probiotics to the rumens fermentation processes on dairy cows. Methodology of the research: the research was carried out at the cooperative company “Blauzdžių Agroservisas” 2013 June - October. During the research two similar groups of dairy cows were created: the control group and experimental group. The groups were made out of 115 Lithuanian Black and White breed dairy cows in their 2-5 lactation stages each. Cows were considered and maintained under the same conditions. For the experimental group cows with normal diet each day in addition received 150 ml of a probiotic. The study samples of milk were taken for research at the beginning of the test after 60 days, 90 and 120 days, from the start. Haematological tests of dairy cows blood samples were taken at the beginning and the end. The rumen contents - at the beginning and after a two-month test. Results: during the research it was determined that the cows which received probiotics yielded 4.4 percent (p>0.05) more milk opposed to the ones that did not receive probiotics. It was also detriment that the use of probiotics have an effect on the quality indexes (protein, fat), and have... [to full text]

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a metabolic disorder characterized by destruction of the pancreatic beta-islet cells leading to complete loss of insulin production. Gliclazide is used in Type 2 diabetes (T2D) to stimulate insulin production but it also has beneficial extrapancreatic effects which make it potentially useful in T1D. In fact, some T2D patients continue to use gliclazide even after their diabetes progresses to T1D since it provides better glycemic control than insulin alone. About 30% of a gliclazide dose undergoes enterohepatic recirculation which may contribute to the observed high interindividual variability in its pharmacokinetics. This may limit its efficacy in T1D especially since diabetes can disturb the gut microbiota and give rise to changes in bile composition and enterohepatic recirculation. Improving the absorption of gliclazide through the use of bile acids and probiotics may reduce this variability and improve the efficacy of gliclazide in T1D. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the interaction between the semisynthetic bile acid, 12-monoketocholic acid (MKC) and gliclazide in terms of pharmacokinetics and hypoglycemic effects in a rat model of T1D with and without probiotic pretreatment. A parallel ex vivo (Ussing chamber) study was carried out to investigate the mechanism of the interaction. Sensitive LC-MS and HPLC methods (Chapter 2) were developed to determine the concentrations of gliclazide and MKC in Ringer's solution and rat serum. Diabetes was induced in male Wistar rats by intravenous (i.v.) alloxan (30 mg/kg). Rats with blood glucose concentration > 18 mmol/l and serum insulin concentration < 0.04 [mu]g/l, 2-3 days after alloxan injection were considered diabetic. A total of 280 male Wistar rats (Chapter 3) were randomly allocated into 28 groups (n=10) of which 14 were made diabetic. Then 7 groups of healthy and 7 groups of diabetic rats were gavaged with probiotics (10⁸ CFU/mg, 75 mg/kg) every 12 hours for three days after which single doses of gliclazide (20 mg/kg), MKC (4 mg/kg) or the combination were administered either by tail vein injection (i.v.) or by gavage. The other 14 groups (7 healthy and 7 diabetic) were gavaged with saline every 12 hours for three days and then treated in the same way. Blood samples were collected from the tail vein for 10 hours after the dose and analyzed for blood glucose, serum gliclazide & serum MKC concentrations. Serum concentration-time curves for gliclazide and MKC were used to determine pharmacokinetic parameters. In the parallel ex vivo study (Chapter 4), 88 rats were randomly divided into 22 groups (n=4 rats per group, 8 chambers per rat), of which 11 groups were made diabetic. Of the 22 groups, 8 groups (4 healthy and 4 diabetic) were pretreated with probiotics as described above to study their influence on gliclazide and MKC flux, 8 groups (4 healthy and 4 diabetic) were used to investigate the interaction between gliclazide and MKC during transport, and 6 groups (3 healthy and 3 diabetic) were used to study the influence of selective inhibitors of the drug transporters Mrp2, Mrp3 and Mdr1 on gliclazide flux. 10 cm piece of the ileum was removed from each rat, the underlying muscle layer and connective tissue removed and the epithelial sheets mounted into Ussing chambers. Gliclazide, MKC or a combination were added to either the mucosal or serosal side and samples collected from both sides for 3 h to determine mucosal-to-serosal absorptive flux (Jss[MtoS]) and serosal-to-mucosal secretory flux (Jss[StoM]) of gliclazide and MKC as appropriate. In diabetic rats, gliclazide alone had no effect on blood glucose levels (Ch3, exp2) whereas MKC reduced it from 23 � 3 to 18 � 3 mmol/l (Ch3, exp3) and the combination of gliclazide and MKC reduced it even further from 24 � 4 to 16 � 3 mmol/l (Ch3, exp4). In diabetic rats, probiotic treatment reduced blood glucose by 2-fold (Ch3, exp1) and enhanced the hypoglycemic effect of the combination of gliclazide and MKC (blood glucose decreased from 24 � 3 to 10 � 2 mmol/l). The bioavailability of gliclazide was higher in healthy rats (53.2 � 6.2%) than in diabetic rats (39.9 � 6.0%) (Ch3, exp2). In healthy rats, MKC enhanced gliclazide bioavailability (82.7 � 8.2%) but in diabetic rats MKC had no effect on gliclazide bioavailability (Ch3, exp4). In healthy rats, probiotic pretreatment significantly reduced gliclazide and MKC bioavailabilities (p<0.01) while in diabetic rats, probiotic pretreatment significantly increased the low bioavailability of gliclazide to a level similar to that in healthy rats (Ch3, exp2 & 3). MKC showed clear evidence of enterohepatic recycling and probiotics delayed and reduced its systemic absorption (Ch3, exp3). In ileal tissues from healthy rats, Ussing chamber studies showed gliclazide is most likely a substrate of Mrp2 and Mrp3 (Ch4, exp5) and MKC significantly reduced gliclazide Jss[MtoS] probably through Mrp3 inhibition (Ch4, exp1). In ileal tissue from diabetic rats, MKC had no effect on gliclazide Jss[MtoS] and Jss[StoM] (Ch4, exp2) and none of the inhibitors had any effect of gliclazide flux (Ch4, exp6). This suggests that these transporters are dysfunctional in this model of T1D. Probiotics and MKC have hypoglycemic effects that appear to be enhanced by gliclazide and all appear to interact at the level of ileal drug transporters. The combination of probiotic treatment, gliclazide and MKC exerted the greatest hypoglycemic effect in T1D rats. Accordingly, the application of this combination may have potential in improving the treatment of T1D.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a metabolic disorder characterized by destruction of the pancreatic beta-islet cells leading to complete loss of insulin production. Gliclazide is used in Type 2 diabetes (T2D) to stimulate insulin production but it also has beneficial extrapancreatic effects which make it potentially useful in T1D. In fact, some T2D patients continue to use gliclazide even after their diabetes progresses to T1D since it provides better glycemic control than insulin alone. About 30% of a gliclazide dose undergoes enterohepatic recirculation which may contribute to the observed high interindividual variability in its pharmacokinetics. This may limit its efficacy in T1D especially since diabetes can disturb the gut microbiota and give rise to changes in bile composition and enterohepatic recirculation. Improving the absorption of gliclazide through the use of bile acids and probiotics may reduce this variability and improve the efficacy of gliclazide in T1D. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the interaction between the semisynthetic bile acid, 12-monoketocholic acid (MKC) and gliclazide in terms of pharmacokinetics and hypoglycemic effects in a rat model of T1D with and without probiotic pretreatment. A parallel ex vivo (Ussing chamber) study was carried out to investigate the mechanism of the interaction. Sensitive LC-MS and HPLC methods (Chapter 2) were developed to determine the concentrations of gliclazide and MKC in Ringer's solution and rat serum. Diabetes was induced in male Wistar rats by intravenous (i.v.) alloxan (30 mg/kg). Rats with blood glucose concentration > 18 mmol/l and serum insulin concentration < 0.04 [mu]g/l, 2-3 days after alloxan injection were considered diabetic. A total of 280 male Wistar rats (Chapter 3) were randomly allocated into 28 groups (n=10) of which 14 were made diabetic. Then 7 groups of healthy and 7 groups of diabetic rats were gavaged with probiotics (10⁸ CFU/mg, 75 mg/kg) every 12 hours for three days after which single doses of gliclazide (20 mg/kg), MKC (4 mg/kg) or the combination were administered either by tail vein injection (i.v.) or by gavage. The other 14 groups (7 healthy and 7 diabetic) were gavaged with saline every 12 hours for three days and then treated in the same way. Blood samples were collected from the tail vein for 10 hours after the dose and analyzed for blood glucose, serum gliclazide & serum MKC concentrations. Serum concentration-time curves for gliclazide and MKC were used to determine pharmacokinetic parameters. In the parallel ex vivo study (Chapter 4), 88 rats were randomly divided into 22 groups (n=4 rats per group, 8 chambers per rat), of which 11 groups were made diabetic. Of the 22 groups, 8 groups (4 healthy and 4 diabetic) were pretreated with probiotics as described above to study their influence on gliclazide and MKC flux, 8 groups (4 healthy and 4 diabetic) were used to investigate the interaction between gliclazide and MKC during transport, and 6 groups (3 healthy and 3 diabetic) were used to study the influence of selective inhibitors of the drug transporters Mrp2, Mrp3 and Mdr1 on gliclazide flux. 10 cm piece of the ileum was removed from each rat, the underlying muscle layer and connective tissue removed and the epithelial sheets mounted into Ussing chambers. Gliclazide, MKC or a combination were added to either the mucosal or serosal side and samples collected from both sides for 3 h to determine mucosal-to-serosal absorptive flux (Jss[MtoS]) and serosal-to-mucosal secretory flux (Jss[StoM]) of gliclazide and MKC as appropriate. In diabetic rats, gliclazide alone had no effect on blood glucose levels (Ch3, exp2) whereas MKC reduced it from 23 � 3 to 18 � 3 mmol/l (Ch3, exp3) and the combination of gliclazide and MKC reduced it even further from 24 � 4 to 16 � 3 mmol/l (Ch3, exp4). In diabetic rats, probiotic treatment reduced blood glucose by 2-fold (Ch3, exp1) and enhanced the hypoglycemic effect of the combination of gliclazide and MKC (blood glucose decreased from 24 � 3 to 10 � 2 mmol/l). The bioavailability of gliclazide was higher in healthy rats (53.2 � 6.2%) than in diabetic rats (39.9 � 6.0%) (Ch3, exp2). In healthy rats, MKC enhanced gliclazide bioavailability (82.7 � 8.2%) but in diabetic rats MKC had no effect on gliclazide bioavailability (Ch3, exp4). In healthy rats, probiotic pretreatment significantly reduced gliclazide and MKC bioavailabilities (p<0.01) while in diabetic rats, probiotic pretreatment significantly increased the low bioavailability of gliclazide to a level similar to that in healthy rats (Ch3, exp2 & 3). MKC showed clear evidence of enterohepatic recycling and probiotics delayed and reduced its systemic absorption (Ch3, exp3). In ileal tissues from healthy rats, Ussing chamber studies showed gliclazide is most likely a substrate of Mrp2 and Mrp3 (Ch4, exp5) and MKC significantly reduced gliclazide Jss[MtoS] probably through Mrp3 inhibition (Ch4, exp1). In ileal tissue from diabetic rats, MKC had no effect on gliclazide Jss[MtoS] and Jss[StoM] (Ch4, exp2) and none of the inhibitors had any effect of gliclazide flux (Ch4, exp6). This suggests that these transporters are dysfunctional in this model of T1D. Probiotics and MKC have hypoglycemic effects that appear to be enhanced by gliclazide and all appear to interact at the level of ileal drug transporters. The combination of probiotic treatment, gliclazide and MKC exerted the greatest hypoglycemic effect in T1D rats. Accordingly, the application of this combination may have potential in improving the treatment of T1D.

Microbial communities associated with gastrointestinal tract of animals play a critical role in gut development, digestion and resistance to disease, thus the prospect of altering these communities beneficially by using probiotics is attractive. In terrestrial animals, the gut provides a stable, moist habitat in an otherwise moisture-limited environment, thus microbial communities tend to be very stable. In contrast, farmed aquatic animals reside within an environment that can support microbes in high densities, and as many marine animals drink continuously for osmoregulation, they are subjected to potential re-inoculation. Consequently, little is known of the stability of gut microbial communities in marine shrimp or whether it is possible to establish beneficial bacteria in the gut. The aims of this thesis were therefore to examine the midgut microbial community associated with farmed black tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon, and to investigate whether the introduction of potentially probiotic Bacillus could alter the species diversity or abundance of the present microbes. Using culture methods it was found that B. pumilus was able to transfer between animals via the water column and persisted in the midgut for at least 7 days, while B. subtilis was only recovered from animals directly fed the bacteria and persisted for less than 24 h in the midgut. V. parahaemolyticus, a known shrimp pathogen,remained in the tanks it was originally found in, and did not transfer via the water column to other tanks and is therefore tightly associated with its host. A bacterium with apparent probiotic qualities was isolated from control animals in the above study and identified as a strain of B. pumilus. Its safety for food animal use was confirmed due to the absence of B. cereus toxin genes, and the isolate’s pH and salt tolerances were investigated. Moreover, the isolate was highly inhibitory to crustacean pathogens in the family Vibrionaceae. Methods to investigate the gut microbiota using the full cycle 16S rRNA methodology were optimized. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) probes designed specifically targeting B. pumilus, B. subtilis and B. licheniformis, commercially available probiotics, were validated for specificity and optimal hybridization conditions. For FISH analysis of bacteria in situ in histological sections of shrimp midgut trunks, fixation times in 4 % paraformaldehyde wereoptimizedfor bacterial RNA retention whilst maintaining tissue integrity. Due to the broad range of autofluorescence in the shrimp tissue, spectral imaging is required to adequately differentiate between host tissue and multiple bacterial probes. The richness and diversity of the midgut microbiota of animals treated with the novel strain of B. pumiluswere analyzed using 16S rRNA gene clone libraries and FISH analysis of histological sections. It was confirmed that B. pumilus can enter the midgut via top-coated feed and through water inoculation. In the tanks that were treated with B. pumilus the proportion of Vibrio sp. in the microbial community decreased, however, only in the systems in which B. pumilus was recovered from the shrimp midgut did the proportion of pathogenic Vibrio species decrease. The application of the B. pumilus caused a shift in the shrimp midgut microbiota, but the community returned to its initial diversity over time. The midgut microbiota of P. monodon is relatively stable but can be adjusted using probiotics. The transience or residence of the probiotics is strain-specific and should be tested for any new strains before determining optimum application protocols. The methods designed in this study are applicable to future research in this field.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2005. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Univ., 2007. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, 2007. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.