Protective effect by Bacillus smithii TBMI12 spores of Salmonella serotype enteritidis in mice.

Avoiding food-borne diseases by competitive exclusion agents is a proactive strategy. In the current paper, we report the use of Bacillus smithii TBMI12 spores as potential competitive exclusion agents. One group of mice was predosed for three successive days with 10(8) colony forming units of B. smithii TBMI12 spores followed by inoculation with 10(6) colony forming units of wild-type Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis cells. Microbial plate counts of the animals' livers and spleens showed that only 40% of the mice were infected with S. enterica serotype Enteritidis, while the control group was 100% infected. These results suggest that B. smithii TBMI12 spores may protect against infection by S. enterica serotype Enteritidis.