Fasting can "counter" Salmonella

Fasting can "counter" Salmonella

Fasting can "counter" Salmonella Fasting can "counter" Salmonella

New research shows that changes in the intestinal flora caused by fasting can help block Salmonella infections
.

Image source: National Institutes of Health

New research shows that changes in the intestinal flora caused by fasting can help block Salmonella infections

On August 6, a new study published by Bruce Vallance's team and collaborators at the University of British Columbia in Canada in "Public Science Library-Pathogens" showed that fasting before and during exposure to Salmonella intestinal bacteria can protect mice Protection from full-scale infection, which is partly due to changes in the animal’s gut microbiota caused by fasting
.

Salmonella is a common bacteria that can cause foodborne diseases in humans
.

When infected with Salmonella, people or animals usually lose their appetite

To find out, the researchers fasted the mice for 48 hours before and during the oral infection with Salmonella
.

The results showed that compared with the mice in the feeding group, the signs of bacterial infection in the fasting group were reduced, and even almost all intestinal tissue damage and inflammation were eliminated

But the researchers said that when the mice were exposed to Salmonella by intravenous injection instead of orally, the above results were not true
.

Moreover, fasting does not completely protect germ-free mice from Salmonella infection, indicating that part of the protective effect comes from the effect of fasting on the intestinal microbiome of mice

Previous studies have confirmed that raising the level of a type of intestinal bacteria may help prevent food poisoning caused by salmonella infection
.

The study led by Stanford University in the United States found that mice rich in Bacteroides can effectively inhibit Salmonella

The experiment of the Vallance team confirmed that the effect of fasting is not limited to Salmonella, but also has a similar effect on Campylobacter jejuni
.

The researchers point out that these data indicate that therapeutic fasting or calorie restriction may be beneficial in regulating infectious and potentially non-infectious gastrointestinal diseases

"Our research emphasizes the important role that food plays in regulating the interaction between the host, intestinal pathogens, and intestinal microbiota
.

" Vallance said, "When food is limited, microbes seem to isolate the remaining nutrients and prevent The pathogen gets the energy it needs to infect the host

Researchers believe that more research is needed to use fasting or adjusting food intake for the treatment of infectious diseases
.

Salmonella is a common source of food contamination and can cause acute gastroenteritis
.

Patients infected with germs will develop fever, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and other symptoms within 12 to 72 hours.

Related paper information: https://doi.
org/10.
1371/journal.
ppat.
1009719

https://doi.
org/10.
1371/journal.
ppat.
1009719