Veterinary Medicine - December 2008 - (Page I1)

Research. Reports. Analysis. Advice. Iams Evaluating a probiotic for clinical use Insider BETTER BEGINS INSIDE ™ Vol. 1 • Issue 2 probiotics that can be stored on the shelf have an advantage over those that require refrigeration, as a low-moisture environment helps to preserve viable molecules. Avoidance of air also aids in the preservation of viable microbes. Once ingested by the host, the probiotic needs to survive passage through the highly acidic environment of the stomach and resist digestion by bile to reach, in adequate numbers, the host’s intestinal tract. Then, in order to be successful, the probiotic must adhere to the appropriate sites of the gastrointestinal tract long enough to temporarily colonize. Probiotics that are native to the target species may be better adapted to adhere and possibly colonize the gastrointestinal tract. Adherence and colonization allow greater concentration of the probiotic to help maintain intestinal Every probiotic is unique. Look for certain characteristics in each to achieve the best results. Probiotics are live bacterial preparations, such as dietary supplements or food, which contain beneﬁcial microorganisms, similar to those found naturally in people and pets. While the health beneﬁts of probiotics have been well documented in people, speciﬁcally in improving gastrointestinal health and helping to enhance immunity, recent studies have only begun to explore and demonstrate the potential health beneﬁts of probiotics for pets. From those studies conducted, however, some of the beneﬁts of veterinary probiotic use can be seen. The mechanisms by which probiotics beneﬁt their host—in both people and pets—are not completely understood, but they may involve: • Enhancement of enteric and systemic immune systems • Systemic anti-inﬂammatory action • Intestinal pH modiﬁcation • Suppression of pathogenic bacteria through the production of inhibitory substances • Competition with pathogens for nutrients and mucosal attachment sites. Of course, not all probiotics are created equal, as the range and depth of probiotic beneﬁts correlate to the species and strain of the probiotic used. Even different strains of the same species have been noted to vary in a number of ways, including stability, ability to colonize the gastrointestinal tract, expression of enzymes, and the production of inhibitory substances. Fortunately, there are characteristics of effective probiotics to look for when evaluating a probiotic for clinical use. These characteristics are outlined below. Survivability and transient colonization An effective probiotic ﬁrst needs to withstand commercial processing and storage to survive transit from the manufacturing site to the host’s possession. Therefore, Did you know? The mammalian digestive system contains more than 500 species of bacteria, which comprise approximately 95% of the cells in the gastrointestinal tract.1 Consequently, enteric bacteria contribute signiﬁcantly to a pet’s resistance to disease and overall health, so factors that affect intestinal ﬂora should be examined and noted. Factors that inﬂuence ﬂora composition include: host species, breed, developmental stages, dietary and medication history, environmental conditions, and intestinal motility patterns. 1. Source: Isolauri E, Salminen S, Ouwehand AC. Probiotics. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol 2004;18:299 For veterinary clinic and sta use only

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Veterinary Medicine - December 2008

Veterinary Medicine - December 2008 Contents Letters Thanking Our Valued Reviewers Practical Matters Idea Exchange Why Do Dogs and Cats Eat Grass? Managing Atypical and Critical Cases of Primary Hypoadrenocorticism in Dogs Behaviors Suggestive of Postoperative Pain in Cats What to Consider When Considering Digital Radiography Avoid Common Bandaging Mistakes in Dogs and Cats IMHA: Diagnosing and Treating a Complex Disease CE Form/Advertiser Index Marketplace/Classifieds Mind Over Miller

Veterinary Medicine - December 2008

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