Salmonella infections pose a significant threat to global public health due to their increasing antibiotic resistance and ability to disrupt gut health. But there’s promising news: a recent study highlights the remarkable potential of Ligilactobacillus salivarius, a probiotic bacterium, in protecting the gut from Salmonella-induced damage.
Researchers divided mice into three groups: a control group, a Salmonella-infected group, and a group pre-treated with L. salivarius. The results were striking. Mice receiving the probiotic not only showed less weight loss but also experienced reduced intestinal bacterial load and improved gut tissue integrity compared to untreated infected mice.
High-throughput sequencing revealed that L. salivarius restored microbial diversity, reducing harmful bacteria such as Fusarium and Nigrospora while maintaining beneficial gut flora. This modulation of the gut microbiome played a critical role in alleviating inflammation and strengthening the intestinal barrier.
The study concludes that Ligilactobacillus salivarius offers a safe, natural, and effective approach to combat Salmonella-induced gut damage and could become a valuable tool in the development of probiotic-based therapies for gastrointestinal health.
Reference
Liang, X., He, Q., Xu, C., Ali, M., Gu, L., Safdar, M., Qudratullah, & Li, K. (2025). Ligilactobacillus salivarius alleviated intestinal damage induced by Salmonella in mice via regulating microbiota. BMC Microbiology, 25(1), 586. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-04277-w
