This is really neat and as noted it should carry over to human
health. We all want a robust immune system and it could just be that
a dose of this pro biotic at the right time will do the trick. We
also have a core pathway to recognize a working protocol.
In the meantime, do eat high quality yogurt from time to time. It
just may be powering up your immune system in ways that the text
books never knew.
I keep been struck by just how ignorant we are of our interaction
with the natural world and how so much seriously wrong ideas are out
there that are accepted with little study. After all if it sounds
good it must be. What is worse, what we do loosely, science has been
doing in spades.
In a better world we can take a yogurt holding an age adjusted dose
of pro biotic s every month or two and then forget everything else we
think we know about germs and disease because they will all be
suppressed. I suspect we are closer to this world than is obvious.
Bacterial
supplement could help young pigs fight disease
by Staff Writers
Orlando FL (SPX) Jan 24, 2013
In a study of 36
weanling-age pigs, researchers found that a dose of
lipid-producing Rhodococcus opacus bacteria increased circulating
triglycerides. Triglycerides are a crucial source of energy for the
immune system.
"We could
potentially strengthen the immune system by providing this bacterium
to animals at a stage when they are in need of additional energy,"
said Janet Donaldson, assistant professor in Biological Sciences
Mississippi State University. "By providing an alternative
energy source, the pigs are most likely going to be able to fight off
infections more efficiently."
Donaldson and other
researchers tested R. opacus because the bacterium naturally makes
large amounts of triglycerides. Normally, R. opacus would use the
triglycerides for its own energy, but a pig can use the triglycerides
too.
Jeff Carroll, research
leader for the USDA Agricultural Research Service Livestock Issues
Research Unit in Lubbock, Texas, said R. opacus could be used sort of
like an energy producing probiotic. He said weanling pigs are more
susceptible to pathogens and stress because they have to adjust to a
new diet and a new environment. To add to the risk, weaning comes at
a time when a pig's immune system is immature. The stress of weaning
can lead to reduced feed intake, less available energy and an
increased risk of infection.
With an oral
supplement of live R. opacus, weanling pigs would have an alternative
source of energy. Even if pigs ate less feed, they would still have
access to the triglycerides produced by these bacteria.
The triglycerides
could be used as an energy source during this critical stage of
development.
Throughout the
experiment, the researchers kept watch for any potential side
effects. Donaldson said they saw no negative side effects in the pigs
given R. opacus. Because of this success, Donaldson said pig
producers might someday use R. opacus on their own farms. She said
the bacteria could be provided to pigs through existing watering
systems.
The next step in the
experiment is to test how pigs given R. opacus react to an immune
challenge such as Salmonella. Carroll said he is also curious to see
if R. opacus can help calves stay healthy during transport.
"This could
potentially be carried over to human health as well," Donaldson
said.
This study was a
collaboration between Janet Donaldson at Mississippi State
University; Jeff Carroll at USDA-ARS' Livestock Issues Research Unit;
Ty Schmidt at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln; Todd Callaway at
USDA-ARS' Food and Feed Safety Research Unit; Jessica Grissett at
Mississippi State University; and Nicole Burdick Sanchez at USDA-ARS'
Livestock Issues Research Unit.
The abstract from this
project, titled "Novel Use of Lipid-Producing Bacteria to
Increase Circulating Triglycerides in Swine," is the 2013
recipient of the National Pork Board Swine Industry Award for
Innovation. The award will be presented at the 2013 American Society
of Animal Science Southern Section Meeting in Orlando, Florida
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