The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of Saccharomyces boulardii in experimental treatment of giardiasis and its impact on intestinal integrity and some functions of gerbils infected with Giardia lamblia. 28 gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus), aged 4-6 weeks, were divided into four groups: untreated and uninfected control (CT); infected with G. lamblia (IGL); treated with S. boulardii (SB); and infected with G. lamblia and treated with S. boulardii (ITSB). The SB and ITSB groups received S. boulardii 15 days prior to being infected with G. lamblia. The treatment continued until completion of the experiment (22nd day). The IGL and ITSB groups were gavage-inoculated with G. lamblia ensuring one-week infection. 4 h before euthanasia, all animals were gavaged with a solution containing diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid (DTPA) marked with technetium-99mTc DTPA to determine intestinal permeability. The small intestine was removed for histopathological, morphometric analysis and count of trophozoites adhered to the mucosa. The selected probiotic caused an approximate reduction of 70% of parasite load, which was determined by attached trophozoites (P<0.01) and immune-marked trophozoites (P<0.05). Treatment with S. boulardii (SB and ITSB groups) also increased the height of the intestinal villi and crypt depth compared to the CT and IGL groups (P<0.05). The area of mucus production and the number of goblet cells of the SB and ITSB groups were higher compared to the CT and IGL groups (P<0.01). The animals treated with S. boulardii also exhibited a significant increase of intraepithelial lymphocytes counts (P<0.01). There was no difference in the intestinal permeability between the groups studied. The efficacy of S. boulardii in reducing damages caused by Giardia was demonstrated, with an approximate reduction of 70% of the parasite load, suggesting its use as a coadjuvant in giardiasis treatment.
Keywords: Giardia lamblia; Saccharomyces boulardii; gerbil; giardiasis; probiotic.