Effect of Lactobacillus supplementation on immune status of malnourished pre-school children.

ABSTRACT

The present study was undertaken to assess the effect of Lactobacillus supplementation on immune response of pre-school children. Thirty malnourished (grade I and grade II) pre-school (3-5 years old) children were selected for the study. These were further categorized into three groups 'A', 'B' and 'C', each group comprising of 10 individuals. Groups 'A' and 'B' were given lactobacillus supplementation 1.0 x 10(8) million viable spores/day/child and 2.0 x 10(8) million of viable spores/day/child for 90 days respectively. Group 'C' served as control. Serum adenosine deaminase (ADA) which is an important immuno enzyme marker for assessing lymphocyte function and proliferation was determined at different intervals. The results revealed that lactobacillus supplementation at level of 1.0 x 10(8) million viable spores/day/child for 15 days along with regular diet significantly improved the ADA levels of pre-school children indicating therapeutic value of lactobacillus as supplementation to malnourished pre-school children.