We studied the ability of the probiotic organism Enterococcus faecium SF68 to antagonize
Giardia intestinalis infection in mice. Oral feeding of E. faecium strain SF68 starting 7 d
before inoculation with Giardia trophozoites significantly increased the production of specific
anti-Giardia intestinal IgA and blood IgG. This humoral response was mirrored at the cellular
level by an increased percentage of CD4+ T cells in the Peyer's patches and in the spleens
of SF68-fed mice. The improvement of specific immune responses in probiotic-fed mice was …