ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF THE HUMAN AND BOVINE LACTOFERRIN AGAINST GRAM-POSITIVE BACTERIA AND CANDIDA ALBICANS

Aim. A comparative study of the effect ofbovine and human lactoferrin (LF) on Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis, Candida albicans strains. Materials and methods. The daily agar cultures of museum and clinical strains of microorganisms were standardized, diluted with physiological solution up (from 5000 microbial cells/ ml to 0.1 ml) was added to the stepwise dilution of LF (from 1000 pg /ml) and incubated 18 - 24 hours at 37°C. The amount of LF in the sample with the total apparent growth retardation of the microbes was the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for the strain. Results. The MIC of human LF was 4 - 8 times less than MIC of bovine LF. The smallest dose was required for the suppression of C. albicans (11.3±1.5 and 43.8±9.5 pg/ml respectively), the largest when using human LF was needed to suppress S. aureus (38,2±4,6), and in a case of bovine LF - E. faecalis (206,3±51,1). Conclusion. Human LF is much more effective in suppressing bacterial infection, but in the course of evolution, there is an increase in the resistance of S. aureus to LF. The higher availability of bovine LF and the lack of a tendency to increase resistance, it is advisable to use high-doses of bovine LF in the treatment of resistant forms of bacteria and C. albicans.

Staphylococcus ан reus, Candida albicans, Enterococcus faecalis, lactoferrin, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, Enterococcus faecalis, drug resistance, minimal inhibitory concentration