Are probiotics a solution against stress diarrhoea?
Stress affects the intestinal microflora by reducing the concentration of probiotic bacteria. All stressful situations to which an animal is exposed contribute towards an increased intestine pH, and thus the gastrointestinal tract is likely to favour the development of pathogenic species (bad bacteria) at the expense of beneficial species (good bacteria). Vaccination, antibiotic therapy, weaning, travel, rehoming or illness are a few of the factors that are considered as stresses that may result in a change of balance of gut flora in favour of pathogenic species. Stress can depress the immune response of animals, which result in alterations and breakdown of the regulatory mechanism in the gastrointestinal tract ecosystem allowing easier establishment of pathogens within the tract.
