Effect of orally administered Eubacterium coprostanoligenes ATCC 51222 on plasma cholesterol concentration in laying hens.

Thirty normocholesterolemic laying hens were used to investigate the effect of oral administration of Eubacterium coprostanoligenes on plasma cholesterol concentrations. Hens were divided randomly into three treatment groups (active, inactive, and control) with 10 hens in each group. The active group received 0.5 mL of E. coprostanoligenes suspension (approximately 2 x 10(7) cells per milliliter) daily for 4 wk; the inactive group received the same dosage of killed (boiled) bacterial suspension; and the control group received no supplemental bacteria. After bacterial feeding, the coprostanol to cholesterol ratio in feces of the active group was significantly greater than ratios of the inactive and control groups, indicating that E. coprostanoligenes was colonized in the intestine of hens and was converting intestinal cholesterol to coprostanol. Plasma cholesterol concentrations, however, were not affected by the bacterial treatment.