A Whey Fraction Rich in Immunoglobulin G Combined with Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis ATCC 15697 Exhibits Synergistic Effects against Campylobacter jejuni .

Evidence that whey proteins and peptides have health benefits beyond basic infant nutrition has increased dramatically in recent years. Previously, we demonstrated that a whey-derived immunoglobulin G-enriched powder (IGEP) enhanced adhesion ofBifidobacterium longumsubsp.infantisATCC 15697 (B. infantis) to HT-29 cells. In this study, we investigated the synergistic effect of IGEP-treatedB. infantison preventing the attachment of highly invasiveCampylobacter jejuni81-176 (C. jejuni) to intestinal HT-29 cells. The combination decreased the adherence ofC. jejunito the HT-29 cells by an average of 48% compared to the control (non-IGEP-treatedB. infantis). We also confirmed that treatment of IGEP with sodium metaperiodate, which disables the biological recognition of the conjugated oligosaccharides, reduced adhesion ofB. infantisto the intestinal cells. Thus, glycosylation of the IGEP components may be important in enhancingB. infantisadhesion. Interestingly, an increased adhesion phenotype was not observed whenB. infantiswas treated with bovine serum-derived IgG, suggesting that bioactivity was unique to milk-derived immunoglobulin-rich powders. Notably, IGEP did not induce growth ofB. infantiswithin a 24 hours incubation period, as demonstrated by growth curves and metabolite analysis. The current study provides insight into the functionality of bovine whey components and highlights their potential in positively impacting the development of a healthy microbiota.