Experimental study of the effects of probiotics on Cryptosporidium parvum infection in neonatal rats

To date, there is no efficient treatment for cryptosporidiosis and parasite eradication relies on innate and acquired immunity. In this study, we investigated the effect of administration of probiotic bacteria on the development and progression of the experimental infection in suckling rats. Rats were fed daily with 2.10⁷ CFU of Lactobacillus casei-containing mixture, starting 2 days before the infection until the spontaneous clearance of the parasite. Effects on weight gain, parasite burden, mucosal histology and production of mucosal cytokines (IFNγ, IL10 and TNFα) were studied. Although a trend to a more rapid clearance of parasites was noted in rats treated with probiotics, no significant effect of probiotics administration was observed in terms of weight gain, parasite burden, mucosal damage, or kinetics of mucosal cytokines during the course of infection. Overall, our results showed that the daily administration of L. casei-containing mixtures was unable to eradicate the parasite in our model.