Streptococcus faecium M 74 in control of diarrhoea induced by a human enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strain in an infant rabbit model.

Streptococcus faecium strain M 74 was evaluated as a prophylacticum for enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) diarrhoea with human isolates of E. coli with CFA/I and CFA/II surface fimbrial haemagglutinins (adhesins) in a rabbit model. Young rabbits (3 to 4 days old) were given S. faecium organisms (5 X 10(9)) 15 min before (group A), 6 h before (group B) and 12 h after (group C) challenge with ETEC organisms. Only 4 out of 26 rabbits in group A, 6 out of 21 in group B and 7 out of 23 in group C developed diarrhoea. In conclusion, this S. faecium strain M 74 seems efficiently to protect animals from ETEC diarrhoea when given as a prophylactic agent at a high dose. This animal model seems useful for comparative studies on new preventive methods for ETEC diarrhoea such as testing probiotics and antiadhesive drugs.