ESPE Abstracts

This study investigated the effects of probiotics oral intake during childhood on gut microbiota at the time of puberty onset in lactating female mice. Female mice were administered a probiotic suspension containing Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus from postnatal 21 days for a duration of 7 days. The timing of vulva opening was observed. Fecal samples were collected and analyzed for 16s rDNA and short-chain fatty acids. The results demonstrate that both Simpson and Good’s coverage index were higher in the probiotic (Pro) group compared to controls. However, no significant difference in beta-diversity index was observed. LEfSe analysis indicated that members of phylum Verrucomicrobia, genera Akkermansia and Klebsiella were significantly more abundant in Pro mice than in controls. Conversely, members of the phylum Bacteroidetes and genus Prevotella, Bilophila, Sutterella, and Oscillospira were significantly less abundant in Pro mice compared to controls (P <0.05). Additionally, level of caproic acid was found to be significantly lower in the Pro group than in the controls (P <0.05). The administration of a multi-strain probiotic intervention to lactating female mice demonstrated an ability to modulate gut microbiota composition by reducing potentially harmful bacteria while increasing beneficial ones.