Group GG Research Articles

Diet during Rotavirus Enteritis Affects Jejunal Permeability to Macromolecules in Suckling Rats

We studied the influence of diet during diarrhea on gut mucosal barrier in a suckling rat model. Rat pups were inoculated with IDIR virus (a group B rotavirus) at 10 d of age. Beginning 2 d postinfection, in addition to maternal milk, group CM received a daily gavage of cow milk and group GG received Lactobacillus casei strain GG, a human strain previously shown to survive the passage through the gastrointestinal tract and temporarily colonize the gut. Group CMGG received a combination of these, and control animals were gavaged with tap water. At 21 d of age, jejunal absorption of intact and degraded horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in Ussing chamber was markedly higher in IDIR virus-infected than in noninfected controls. In the two groups gavaged with cow milk, group CM and group CMGG, the numbers of specific antibody-secreting cells (enumerated by the solid-phase enzyme-linked immunospot assay) against beta-lactoglobulin were significantly higher than in the groups that had not received cow milk. In parallel with immune system activation, a statistically significant increase in the absorption of intact HRP (mean and 95% confidence interval, ng x h-1 x cm-2) was detected: group CM, 302 (155, 586); group CMGG, 174 (56, 545); infected controls, 121 (57, 257); and group GG, 44 (8, 254). A decrease in the uptake of intact HRP (F = 3.64, p = 0.06) and degraded HRP (F = 9.50, p = 0.004) was associated with the introduction of L. casei GG to the diet, irrespective of coexposure to cow milk.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Significance of Colon-Aerogenes Group in Ice Cream : I. Survival of members of the Escherichia-aerobacter group to pasteurizing temperatures in ice cream

The sanitary si~aificance of particular groups of bacteria in food products is of peculiar interest. This is especially true with the EscherichiaoAerobacter group for several reasons. In case of ice cream considerable importance is attached by some to the presence of this group. In this connection several questions present themselves. W~at are the possibilities of this group gg.~nlug entrance into ice cream? Does the presence of this group in retail ice cream indicate inefficient pasteurization or contamination after pasteurization? Is the health officer justified in condemning ice cream which contains members of the Escherichia-Aerobacter group? What is the possibility of members of this group surviving the pasteurizing temperature now in use? It was to gain specific information on the last named question and general information on some of the other questions raised that this work was undertaken. The scientific literature contains numerous papers on the bacteriology of ice cream, but very few of these have special reference to the Escherichia-Aerobacter group of organisms. Buchan (3) in 1910 made a complete bacteriological study of 40 small ice cream plants in England. Out of 66 cultures isolated and identified 47 belonged to the Escherichia-Aerobacter group. Isolation was accomplished by the use of bile salt lactose agar. The