Campylobacter jejuni infections are progressively increasing worldwide.
Probiotic treatment might open novel therapeutic or even prophylactic
approaches to combat campylobacteriosis. In the present study secondary
abiotic mice were generated by broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment and
perorally reassociated with a commensal murine Lactobacillus johnsonii strain
either 14 days before (i.e. prophylactic regimen) or 7 days after (i.e.
therapeutic regimen) peroral C. jejuni strain 81–176 infection. Following
peroral reassociation both C. jejuni and L. johnsonii were able to stably
colonize the murine intestinal tract. Neither therapeutic nor prophylactic L.
johnsonii application, however, could decrease intestinal C. jejuni burdens.
Notably, C. jejuni induced colonic apoptosis could be ameliorated by
prophylactic L. johnsonii treatment, whereas co-administration of L. johnsonii
impacted adaptive (i.e. T and B lymphocytes, regulatory T cells), but not
innate (i.e. macrophages and monocytes) immune cell responses in the
intestinal tract. Strikingly, C. jejuni induced intestinal, extra-intestinal
and systemic secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators (such as IL-6, MCP-1, TNF
and nitric oxide) could be alleviated by peroral L. johnsonii challenge. In
conclusion, immunomodulatory probiotic species might offer valuable strategies
for prophylaxis and/or treatment of C. jejuni induced intestinal, extra-
intestinal as well as systemic pro-inflammatory immune responses in vivo
