Susceptibility of Spore-forming Butyric Acid Bacteria to Antimicrobial Agents

Abstract

Antimicrobial agents occasionally cause certain adverse effects, such as diarrhea and loose stool, by altering the composition of the intestinal flora. Antibiotic-resistant lactic acid bacteria are used to prevent these adverse effects. Although these bacteria are not resistant to several recently introduced antimicrobial agents, bacterial preparations are still sometimes prescribed concomitantly with these antimicrobial agents. In this study, we investigated whether the administration of the spore-forming butyric acid bacteria Clostridium butyricum improves the adverse clinical effects by preventing diarrhea. Inhibition of C. butyricum growth was observed with 17 of the 20 antimicrobial agents used. However, dilution of 11 of these 17 agents resulted in the regrowth of C. butyricum. These results suggest that C. butyricum may survive exposure to several antibiotic agents by forming spores. Further, a decrease in the antimicrobial agent concentration in the gastrointestinal tract permits the vegetative growth of C. butyricum, which functions as a probiotic.