Treatment of c57BL6 mice with ETEC hyperimmune bovine colostrum

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli is a subgroup of bacteria known as ETEC that are a leading cause of bacterial diarrhea which can lead to long-term gastrointestinal dysfunction. This diarrhea results from a reaction to toxic components of the bacterial wall, e.g. lipopolysaccharide. Although preventative treatments for ETEC-induced diarrhea are available, the effects of these treatments on gut bacteria in healthy individuals are not understood. We fed mice a colostrum solution rich in lipopolysaccharide antibodies from cows vaccinated against a number of ETEC. We then analyzed microbes from the caecum, colonic mucosa, and feces of mice to examine the onset and magnitude of changes to gut bacteria resulting from this treatment. We show that LPS antibodies can subtly modify fecal and cecal microbes. We recommend further studies to assess the role of LPS antibody supplementation to beneficially engineer the microbiome in preclinical models and humans.