Composition of a one-month old infant SHIME microbiota in the presence of Cronobacter sakazakii, lactic acid bacteria, and lactic acid bacteria with Vivinal GOS.

Powdered infant formula (PIF) can be contaminated with Cronobacter sakazakii, which can cause severe illnesses in infants. Synbiotics could act as an alternative control measure for C. sakazakii contamination in PIF and within the infant gut, but synbiotics have not been well studied for their ability to inhibit C. sakazakii. This thesis demonstrated that a potential synbiotic, consisting of 6 LAB strains and Vivinal GOS, can inhibit the growth of C. sakazakii in an infant SHIME, possibly through the production of antimicrobial metabolites like acetate, increasing species diversity within the system to compete for nutrients, or a combination of mechanisms.