Dickson, R. et al.
2019
Veterinary Parasitology

Probiotics are suggested to be effective against many intestinal pathogens in cats, with Tritrichomonas foetus (T. foetus) being a common cause of large intestinal diarrhoea. In vitro studies were performed to evaluate the effect of a probiotic containing Enterococcus faecium (Efm) SF68 and a new probiotic, Enterococcus hirae, on growth inhibition, adhesion, and cytotoxicity of T. fetus towards intestinal epithelium. The previously validated in vitro coculture model system using porcine intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) was used to assess the effect of enterococci on the adhesion and cytotoxicity of T. foetus towards intestinal epithelial cells. Assessments were performed using fluorescent microscopy and spectrophotometry and scanning electron microscopy and immunofluorescence assays (IFA). The results support the investigation of a possible benefit of treatment with enterococci-containing probiotics for the prevention of T. fetus infection in uninfected cats at risk.