Investigation of therapeutic effect of Saccharomyces boulardii and translocation in immunosuppressed rats infected with Shigella sonnei

Aim: To investigate the therapeutic effects of Saccharomyces boulardii (S. boulardii) and detect blood and tissue penetrations of S. boulardii and Shigella sonnei (S. sonnei) in immunosuppressed rats infected with S. sonnei. Methods: Forty rats were divided into four groups: Group A (immunosuppressed, not-treated); Group B (immunosuppressed, treated with S. boulardii); Group C (immunosuppressed, infected with S. sonnei, treated with S. boulardii); Group D (immunosuppressed, infected with S. sonnei). After taking samples for blood cultures, the rats were sacrificed. The large bowel, liver, spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) were removed for microbiological examination. Results: S. boulardii in group B and S. sonnei in group D were isolated from blood in some rats. Statistical analysis of our data, showed that the numbers of translocated colonies in the liver and spleen were relatively higher for S. boulardii in Group B and for S. sonnei in Group D, without reaching levels of statistical significance. For MLN, colony counts in Group B was higher than Group C and A showing statistical significance. Conclusion: The administration of S. boulardii showed promising results for the therapy of S. sonnei infection in immunosuppressed rats, but therapeutic usage of S. boulardii should be carefully assessed by taking into consideration the risk it poses versus potential benefits in risk groups.