The association between worm infections and bacterial diseases has only recently been emphasized. This study examined the effect of experimental Angiostrongylus costaricensis infection on endogenous intestinal flora of Swiss Webster mice. Eight mice aging six weeks were selected for this experiment. Four were infected with A. costaricensis and the other four were used as controls. Twenty eight ...

The intestinal microflora is a positive health asset that crucially influences the normal structural and functional development of the mucosal immune system. Mucosal immune responses to resident intestinal microflora require precise control and an immunosensory capacity for distinguishing commensal from pathogenic bacteria. In genetically susceptible individuals, some components of the flora ca...

In our previous studies, Salacia extracts demonstrated beneficial effects on the enteric environment of the rat, as represented by decrease in ammonia and other products decomposed by enteric microorganism. In the present study, we showed that the expression of immunologically relevant genes increased in the epithelium of the small intestine from the rat orally dosed with Salacia extracts. T-RF...

Prebiotic: A nondigestible food ingredient that benefits the host by selectively stimulating the favorable growth and/ or activity of 1 or more indigenous prebiotic bacteria. Prebiotics can modify the intestinal flora and interact with the immune system of the host against specific pathogens. However clinical trials are currently limited and a beneficial effect of prebiotic in treatment acute d...

Intestinal microflora constitutes a symbiotic ecosystem in permanent equilibrium, composed mainly of anaerobic bacteria. However, such equilibrium may be altered by daily conditions as drug use or pathologies interfering with intestinal physiology, generating an unfavorable environment for the organism. Besides, there are factors which may cause alterations in the intestinal wall, creating the ...

Entamoeba histolytica was first cultured in vitro in 1925 (Boeck and Drbohlav, 1925) but has not yet been grown in the absence of living bacteria. Experimentally the dependence of E. histolytica on living bacteria in the intestine is well illustrated by the inability of E. histolytica to survive and invade the bowel wall of germ-free guinea-pigs (Phillips, Wolfe, Rees, Gordon, Wright, and Reyni...