Bacterial autoaggregation and coaggregation
It can be observed that the LAB showed good autoaggregation. This
indicates a high potential for intestinal colonization, preventing
fixation, and, consequently, the proliferation of pathogens through
competitive exclusion. Several studies support the great autoaggregation
potential of LAB; Abushelaibi et al. [20] showed
autoaggregation of up to 38.8% using LAB isolated from milk, and 14.8%
when using commercial probiotics. Thus, the bacteria used in this study
have great potential for use as a bioprotective agent, with greater
autoaggregation than commercial probiotics.
Coaggregation demonstrates the potential for immobilization of pathogens
by bioprotective and/or probiotic bacteria. The E. coli strain
used showed high autoaggregation potential, that is, great intestinal
colonization capacity. Thus, the sequestration of this bacteria by
bioprotective agents is extremely necessary.
The LAB strains showed great coaggregation activity, demonstrating their
pathogen sequestration potential; it is reported that the ability of
coaggregation is directly linked to autoaggregation. This creates a
protective film on the surface of the intestine, occupying the limited
number of receptors on the surface of intestinal cells, making them
unavailable for use by pathogens [21].
Abusheilaibi et al. [20] demonstrated
sequestration of 10.5% of E. coli O157:H7, S.Typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus
aureus when using a commercial probiotic strain. This index is lower
than the index obtained in this study, highlighting the potential of the
bacteria evaluated here.