Viability of Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) from feces of Thai healthy subjects regularly taking milk product containing LcS.

Objective: To demonstrate the recovery of Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) from feces of Thai subjects who regularly took LcS containing milk product for 1 week and demonstrate the disappearance of LcS after stopped taking milk product.

Material And Method: First fecal samples were collected from 20 healthy adults at 10 days after they abstained from all lactobacillus containing milk products. Second specimens taken after the subjects ingested LcS containing milk product for 7 days and third specimens at 7 days after they stopped taking LcS containing milk product. All the fecal specimens were culture for LcS using LLV-FOS culture medium and enumeration of LcS was calculated. All stool samples were also tested for the presence of LcS by using nested PCR to confirm the presence of LcS obtained from culture method.

Results: Both culture and nested PCR method showed that all the stools samples obtained from subjects prior to the administration of LcS containing milk product were devoid of LcS, except for 3 specimens which showed weakly positive test for PCR. At 7 days after ingesting LcS containing milk product, all stool specimens were positive for LcS on both culture and PCR method. At 7 days after stopped taking LcS containing milk product, 1/19 specimens were positive from culture and 6/ 19 specimens were positive for PCR method.

Conclusion: LcS could survive in the gastrointestinal tract of Thai subjects and could be recovered from the feces after ingestion.