To develop a functional probiotic that inhibits gingipain, a major virulence factor of Porphyromonas gingivlais (P. gingivalis), we screened over 30 probiotic strains for their ability to inhibit gingipian activity. We investigated the inhibition of expression of gingipain genes kgp, rgpA, and rgpB as well as gingipain activity, using freeze dried cell-free supernatants of Weisiella cibaria SPM402 (WC402) and Lactobacillus paracasei SMP412 (LP412), both of which demonstrated antibacterial activity against P. gingivalis. Thus, it was verified that kgp expression was reduced by approximately 0.71±0.02 folds and rgpB expression was reduced by approximately 0.71±0.14 folds at a concentration of WC402 10 mg/mL. Meanwhile, at the same concentration of 10 mg/mL of LP412, kgp expression was reduced by approximately 0.19±0.08 folds, rgpA expression was reduced by approximately 0.09±0.02 folds, and rgpB expression was reduced by approximately 0.24±0.03 folds. At a concentration of 10 mg/mL, Kgp activity was inhibited by approximately 78.65±3.58% (cell associated gingipain, CAG), 82.45±1.22% (cell-free gingipain, CFG) by WC402 and 80.71±2.11% (CAG), and 85.81±0.05% (CFG) by LP412 respectively. Rgp activity was also effectively inhibited by approximately 78.6±1.01% (CAG), 86.78±0.47% (CFG) and 82.93±1.26% (CAG), 88.81±0.36% (CFG) by WC402 and LP412 respectively. Based on these results, W. cibaria SPM402 and L. paracasei SPM412 can be regarded as functional probiotics with the ability to inhibit gingipain activity and exhibit antibacterial effects against P. gingivalis.

The aim of study was to investigate the virulence profile of Escherichia coli O157:H7 bacteriophages isolated from sewage and livestock stools. Among 23 E. coli O157:H7 bacteriophages, 14 strains were isolated from sewage and 9 were from animal stools collected from 10 livestock farms in Korea. For each bacteriophage DNA sample, the presence of stx1, stx2, eae, aafII, ial, elt, estI, estII, astA, afa, and cnf was examined by polymerase chain reaction. The detection rate of eae, stx2, estI, astA, and ial was 100%, 69.6%, 13.0%, 13.0%, 8.7%, respectively. While all E. coli O157:H7 bacteriophages isolated from stools carried eae+stx2, stx2+eae, eae+astA, eae, stx2+eae+estI, eae+estI, stx2+eae+ial, and eae+ial were observed in bacteriophages isolated from sewage. As several plasmid-carrying virulence factors (estI, astA, and ial) were found in E. coli O157:H7 bacteriophages obtained from sewage and stools, the microbial safety of bacteriophages should be investigated in further study.