Probiotic Strains for Treating and/or Preventing Diarrhea

1 . A method of selecting a probiotic strain for treating and/or preventing diarrhea, said method comprising steps of:

measuring the effect of at least one test strain on the expression of at least one transporter involved in the secretion of water in the colon or of at least one transporter involved in the absorption of water in the colon, and

selecting at least one strain that induces a decrease in the expression of at least one transporter involved in the secretion of water in the colon and/or an increase in the expression of at least one transporter involved in the absorption of water in the colon.

2 . The method of selection as claimed in claim 1 , said method comprising steps of:

measuring the effect of at least one test strain on expression of the CFTR protein and/or of the NHE3 protein, and

selecting at least one strain that induces a decrease in expression of the CFTR protein and/or an increase in expression of the NHE3 protein.

3 . The method of selection as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the test strain is a yeast strain or a bacterial strain.

4 . The method of selection as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the bacterial strain is a strain of Bacillus.

5 . The method of selection as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the expression of the CFTR protein and/or of the NHE3 protein is measured by electrophoresis, Western blot, immunoassay, immunohistochemistry, immunocytochemistry, mass spectrometry, RT-PCR or Northern blot.

6 . A probiotic strain that induces a decrease in expression of at least one transporter involved in the secretion of water in the colon and/or an increase in the expression of at least one transporter involved in the absorption of water in the colon, cells obtained by culture of said probiotic strain or composition comprising said probiotic strain or said cells, for use in the treatment and/or prevention of diarrhea.

7 . The probiotic strain, cells or composition for use in the treatment and/or prevention of diarrhea as claimed in claim 6 , characterized in that the probiotic strain is a strain of Bacillus subtilis.

8 . The probiotic strain, cells or composition for use in the treatment and/or prevention of diarrhea as claimed in claim 7 , characterized in that the probiotic strain is the strain of Bacillus subtilis CU1 deposited at the CNCM on Oct. 25, 2001 under number I-2745.

9 . The probiotic strain, cells or composition for use in the treatment and/or prevention of diarrhea as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 8 , characterized in that the diarrhea is acute diarrhea or chronic diarrhea.

10 . The probiotic strain, cells, or composition for use in the treatment and/or prevention of diarrhea as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 9 , characterized in that the diarrhea is diarrhea of infectious origin or diarrhea of noninfectious origin.

11 . The method of selection as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the bacterial strain is a strain of Bacillus subtilis.

12 . Method of treating and/or preventing diarrhea in a patient comprising a step of administering, to the patient in need thereof, an effective amount of cells obtained by culture of a probiotic strain, wherein said probiotic strain induces a decrease in expression of at least one transporter involved in the secretion of water in the colon and/or an increase in the expression of at least one transporter involved in the absorption of water in the colon.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the probiotic strain is a strain of Bacillus subtilis.

14 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein the probiotic strain is the strain of Bacillus subtilis CU1 deposited at the CNCM on Oct. 25, 2001 under number I-2745.

15 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the diarrhea is acute diarrhea or chronic diarrhea.

16 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the diarrhea is diarrhea of infectious origin or diarrhea of noninfectious origin.