Lactobacillus Acidophilius

One of the micro-organisms most used in probiotic mixtures is Lactobacillus Acidophilus. Rather than just one organism, it is a family of organisms. Here, the distinction is important.

Certain Lactobacilli are specific to particular live species. For example, the L. Acidophilus of DDS-1 stock is very effective in humans and mammals, but is impossible to introduce into birds. This characteristic seems related to the body temperature of live species. Thus, the DDS-1 differs from other L. Acidophilus which are rather thermophilous and thrive at temperatures higher than those of mammals.

Birds have a higher body temperature (for example, typically 104 degrees F for canaries). The probiotics of the Lactobacillus Acidophilus type must be correctly selected in order to survive and thrive in a bird’s digestive system.

This explains why it is a completely false claim that the use of yogurt capsules can help your birds benefit from Lactobacillus Acidophilus.

At best, other probiotic strains such as Bifidobacterium faecium or Lactobacillus Casei (if still living), can have beneficial effects on your bird because they are able to colonize their digestive systems.

L. Acidophilus must be correctly selected because, as it colonizes the bird’s intestinal wall, it deprives the pathogenic bacteria of space and nutrition. In addition, L. Acidophilus produces natural antibiotic substances such as acidoline and acidopholine that destroy only harmful bacteria such as Escherichia Coli (E. Coli), salmonella, staphilococca and others. The inhibition of pathogenic bacteria in the intestinal flora has important effects in cancer prevention.

Studies show that the presence of pathogenic bacteria encourages the carcinogenic formation of substances such as nitroso-amines. Other studies show that the presence of L. Acidophilus reduces blood cholesterol levels.