Antiviral methods and compositions comprising probiotic bacterial molecules
Molecules secreted or derived from probiotic bacteria are provided for use in compositions and methods for the treatment and/or prevention of infection by pathogenic viruses. The isolated secreted molecules can also be used in nutritional or medical food products which provide probiotics to the gastrointestinal tract of a mammal.
1. A method for reducing incidence and/or for treatment of a Rotavirus infection in mammals, the method comprising administering to said mammals an effective amount of a composition comprising molecules secreted by or derived from probiotic bacteria, wherein the secreted molecules are peptides having from 2 to 10 amino acids.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said probiotic bacteria are selected from the group consisting of Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Streptococcus, Bifidobacterium , and combinations thereof.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said Lactobacillus is selected from the group consisting of Lactobacillus acidophilus La5 , Lactobacillus fermentum , and a Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus helveticus , and Lactobacillus plantarum.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein said Lactococcusi is Lactococcus lactis.
5. The method of claim 2 , wherein said Bifidobacterium is selected from the group consisting of Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium crudilactis , and mixtures thereof.
6. The method of claim 2 , wherein said Streptococcus is Streptococcus thermophilus.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition is combined within an edible food product, nutritional supplement and/or ingestible liquid.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises one or more strains of whole probiotic bacteria.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said secreted molecules are from Lactobacillus acidophilus.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said secreted molecules comprise a sequence selected from the group consisting of YPVEPF, YPPGGP, YPPG, NQPY, and combinations thereof.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises a sugar source.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the sugar source is glucose.
13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising administering one or more antivirals.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein said composition is provided as a lyophilized culture fraction.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein said molecules have one or more of the following characteristics: are proteinaceous; low molecular weight; and can withstand heating at up to about 90° C., freezing, thawing, lyophilization and/or spray drying.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition is a cell-free supernatant.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises live probiotic bacteria from which the molecules are derived or secreted.
18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises live probiotic bacteria other than the bacteria from which the molecules are derived or secreted.
19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the molecules in the composition are purified.
20. A method for reducing incidence and/or treating infections by Rotavirus in a mammal, the method comprising administering to said mammal an effective amount of a composition comprising one or more molecules secreted by or derived from a probiotic bacterium selected from the group consisting of Lactobacillus acidophilus La5 , Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactococcus lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium crudilactis , and combinations thereof, wherein the secreted molecules are peptides having from 2 to 10 amino acids.
21. The method of claim 20 , wherein said secreted molecule comprises an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of YPVEPF, YPPGGP, YPPG, NQPY, and combinations thereof.
22. The method of claim 20 , wherein said method further comprises the administration of an antiviral.
23. A method for reducing the carriage by a food production animal of Rotavirus strains that cause human infection, said method comprising administering an effective amount of one or more secreted molecules from a probiotic bacterium selected from the group consisting of Lactobacillus acidophilus La5 , Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactococcus lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium crudilactis , and combinations thereof to the food production animal prior to exposure to the Rotavirus strains that cause human infection, wherein the secreted molecules are peptides having from 2 to 10 amino acids.
24. A method of reducing propagation of Rotavirus in a food source, the method comprising applying an effective amount of a secreted molecule(s) from a probiotic bacterium selected from the group consisting of Lactobacillus acidophilus La5 , Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactococcus lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium crudilactis , and combinations thereof to the food source, wherein the secreted molecules are peptides having from 2 to 10 amino acids.
25. The method of 24 , wherein said molecule comprises an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of YPVEPF, YPPGGP, YPPG, NQPY, and combinations thereof.
26. The method of claim 24 , wherein said method further comprises the administration of a probiotic bacterium.