Probiotics contain live microorganisms that are supposed to be similar to the bacteria found in the small intestine. These probiotics are now available in a variety of forms, such as pediococci, enterococci, bacillus species, but also lactobacilli, and of course in different price ranges.

Probiotics are designed to keep the microbiome (= the entirety of microorganisms in the intestine) in balance. As a result, a sound barrier against pathogenic (= disease-causing) germs can be built up in the small intestine. The aim must be to minimize the use of antibiotics through probiotics.

This selection of probiotics did not exist over 20 years ago. I can still remember my first encounter with probiotic substances. I was a guest of Prof. Dr. Dr. Gerlach in Munich and we were discussing the use of lactobacilli in birds. She had made a groundbreaking discovery through a doctoral student. By using a lactobacillus, it was possible to colonize the small intestine with this species and prevent toxic E. coli bacteria from spreading.

So far so good. But at that time there was no lactobacillus that fulfilled the relevant functions and was also easy to reproduce. Hence Prof. Dr. Dr. Gerlach’s request that I try to find such a species. This turned out to be much more difficult than expected. I must have isolated about a hundred different lactobacilli during this time, but I only found one strain that met all my criteria. This was lactobacillus salivarius. I incorporated this strain into PT-12, a product that is still legendary today. I had this PT-12 product manufactured and marketed as a medicine for racing pigeons and birds for around 15 years. Then the EU in “Brussels” banned the entire group of lactobacillus salivarius species (estimated at several thousand different l. salivarius strains) for use in a medicinal product for pets, stating that the lactobacillus salivarius species was a medicinally active ingredient that required special authorization. I was not prepared to tackle such an approval, as the costs could very quickly have exceeded €500,000 limit.

A coincidence then came to my aid. At the time, my culture company (“Sacco” or “CSL” in Italy) had obtained approval for lactobacillus acidophilus in Brussels as a “zootechnical additive” (“gut stabilizer”). This l. acidophilus has similar characteristics to my previous l. salivarius. I then adjusted the bacterial count (=number of live lactobacilli) of the l. acidophilus so that it was suitable for all my intended target species. This l. acidophilus can now be found in my Ac-i-pim® product. Looking back over the last few years, I have hit the bull’s eye with this strain. The extremely positive response to my Ac-i-pim® from all over the world confirms that I have done everything right.

The most important criterion for an effective probiotic is the number of living microorganisms it contains. This number is expressed in CFU (= colony-forming units of bacteria). There are, of course, foods (such as yoghurt) that contain lactobacilli. But this quantity is usually too small to be expected to have any effect. I used to check yoghurt regularly for the presence of lactobacilli, but found very few if I was lucky.

However, the probiotics on offer differ significantly from one another in terms of the dose of microorganisms they contain. This is of course also reflected in the sales price. I would just like to mention my Ac-i-pim® here. This product contains lactobacillus acidophilus, the only lactobacillus acidophilus that is approved in the EU for my target species. This is a “real” lactobacillus. In my industry, the name “lactobacillus” is often mentioned – probably more for advertising reasons. The reference to lactobacilli seems to make it easier to sell many probiotics. As a consumer, please take a close look at what it says.

Ac-i-pim® contains an extremely high dose of live lactobacilli (≥ 1×1012 CFU/kg). We are no longer in the billions here, but already in the trillions. If I now look at other probiotics on offer, my Ac-i-pim® is usually around 10 to 1000 times higher. Of course, this also includes the price. In addition, “real” lactobacilli are very expensive to produce.

But it is not only the dose of microorganisms in probiotics that is responsible for success. The composition of a probiotic and its packaging also have a decisive influence on success or failure. In Ac-i-pim®, the l. acidophilus is stored in a very dry medium. Conversely, this means that the more moist a probiotic is, the more susceptible it is to damage during storage. In this respect, I consider probiotics offered in an aqueous environment to be very critical. I continue to advocate the frozen storage of probiotics. It is the safest storage method. In a discussion with the local experts from the company “Sacco” (culture manufacturer in Italy) in September of this year, we also discussed the storage stability of microorganisms in detail and the sensible storage of lyophilized bacteria. The unanimous opinion of the experts was that the best and safest storage is under deep-freeze conditions. I have been doing this for over 20 years now. Now nobody should think that the Ac-i-pim® is also extremely susceptible at higher temperatures (refrigerator or living room temperature). Sacco’s” laboratory has now tested the storage of ”Ac-i-pim® under refrigerator conditions (≤ 8° Celsius) for 24 months and found no deviation in living lactobacilli. This fact is far above my own recommendations. However, I take a very critical view of storage at ≥ 30° Celsius over a longer period of time. This certainly also applies to a large number of other probiotics on offer.

The microbiome in the small intestine is a very complex structure. In addition to lactobacilli, the small intestine of healthy animals contains a large number (in the trillions) of other bacteria, which also play a decisive role in digestion and resistance to pathogenic germs. External influence on the microbiome in the small intestine, whether through antibiotics or feeding-related measures, can significantly change the composition of the bacterial flora.

In adult animals, a certain autochthonous bacterial flora has already established itself in the small intestine. This flora can be positive or negative. The use of antibiotics against pathogenic germs massively changes this structure. Now many people think: we give an antibiotic for 5 days and then a probiotic for 3 days and the small intestine is healed or fully functional again. This is a great misconception. This basic opinion is particularly prevalent in the racing pigeon sector: 2 days of an antibiotic at the beginning of the week and then 2 days of a probiotic to soothe the conscience. No, it doesn’t work like that. I recommend using Ac-i-pim® for older birds over a longer period of time and then applying it intermittently from time to time. I have many customers who have birds (especially budgerigars) with the problem of macrorhabdiosis (infestation with megabacteria). These bird keepers even give my “Ac-i-pim® constantly. This allows the mega-bacteria to be kept in the sub-threshold range, which is no longer so infectious for the birds. It is much easier to influence the bacterial flora in young birds, young pigeons and young poultry. Although a certain bacterial flora has already accumulated through the parents, this is not yet as manifest in the small intestine. This means that Ac-i-pim®, when administered as soon as possible after the birds, pigeons or poultry have hatched, can direct the bacterial flora into a less pathogenic state.

What influence do certain food components have on the microbiome in the small intestine? To understand this problem, I need to expand a little. Lactobacilli, like other beneficial bacteria, need a slightly alkaline pH value to live and multiply. This can be narrowed down to a range of pH 5.6 – pH 6.8. We know that if there is an explosive proliferation of lactobacilli in the small intestine, the pH value falls below 5.0. The lactobacilli stop multiplying – and the pH value rises again above 5.0. It goes up and down. This is self-protection for the lactobacilli. This also means that an Ac-i-pim® cannot be overdosed.

But what happens if the pH value is constantly driven below a pH value of < 5 over a longer period of time through human influence (administration of organic acids)? The result is that the lactobacilli stop multiplying. If organic acids are only administered sporadically and only at longer intervals, some lactobacilli can be preserved in the small intestine. But multiplication no longer takes place under these conditions. But what actually happens when the pH value in the small intestine is lowered in the long term? The lactobacilli and many beneficial bacteria are then gone and the microbiome becomes unbalanced. But which microorganisms can still exist in the pH range of 3.0 – 4.8 and even divide to multiply? These are mainly Enterobacteriaceae (gram-negative bacteria such as E. coli) and above all yeasts. We have a “yeast problem” in the pigeon sector. This was recently reported by a clinic. They were of the opinion that this phenomenon was due to the overuse of antibiotics. I see this somewhat differently: for years, yeasts were not tested for at all. I have repeatedly proclaimed this special examination. It didn’t help. We have certainly had this yeast problem for many years. I see more of a connection here with the increasingly popular use of organic acids. This has little to do with sense and reason. In order to get rid of a few trichomonads, the constant use of acids is proclaimed. The success of such a measure is not even certain. We must remember that trichomonads are secondary pathogens and only multiply rapidly when the flora in the small intestine is not in order. In addition, various acids can be incorporated into the metabolism of yeasts. This can lead to further yeast proliferation in the small intestine. Yeasts produce CO2 and alcohol. I will neglect the CO2 here. It can flow into the energy metabolism and then still fulfill a positive function. In this context, I see the alcohol produced as particularly problematic. If yeasts multiply massively, this increases dangerously. We know this problem from the human field: people were labeled as alcoholics – without ever having drunk a drop of alcohol. The cause was later diagnosed as a massive yeast infestation. We have a worst-case scenario with pigeons and birds, as well as other poultry, when there is a mass proliferation of yeasts (sprout fungi) in the small intestine. The alcohol produced in large quantities by the yeasts then eliminates the rest of the living, good-natured bacteria.

We are also familiar with the effects of alcohol from the medical field. Here we use alcohol to disinfect wounds, for example. We also have to bear in mind that many yeasts in the small intestine take up space from beneficial bacteria such as lactobacilli. I have been advising my customers for many years: always have the birds or pigeons checked for yeasts after a long acid treatment. In addition, the vet should also microscopically examine the droppings for yeasts or shoots in addition to the smear for fungal culture medium. The main focus here should be on sprouting yeasts. If the vet finds no sprouting yeasts, the breeder may have got off lightly. This means that the yeasts are only passing through the small intestine and may not have caused such great damage in the long term. However, if sprouting yeasts are found in the feces, it can be assumed that the yeasts feel very much at home in the small intestine and have already switched to multiplication. An appropriate treatment plan against yeasts should then be discussed with the vet.

How can the microbiome be positively influenced? As already mentioned, my lactobacilli (Ac-i-pim®) can also be used in the long term. I use Ac-i-pim® constantly, i.e. daily, in the breeding phase with my birds (cardinals and bishops). The droppings are always excellent and the growth of the chicks is really very good. Outside the breeding period, I use Ac-i-pim® in phases. Every now and then for 2-3 days at a time. But now much more can be done to better establish the beneficial bacteria in the small intestine. Fiber is particularly important here. I have also designed my range of feed supplements with this in mind. Fru-tin-fluid®, known above all for its enormous adhesive effect, provides additional food for the lactobacilli to multiply thanks to the inulin it contains from the chicory plant. Tarsin, with its high fiber content from various vegetables, provides another carbohydrate-rich component for the lactobacilli to multiply. I once investigated the influence of Fru-tin-fluid® and Tarsin on the growth behavior of lactobacilli. The result was: a 1000-fold increase in the multiplication of lactobacilli through the use of both components. The fruit mash should also not be forgotten. This also contains a large amount of fiber due to a variety of different pulverized fruits.

As I have now shown, we can use simple means to create a microbiome in the small intestine that defies all adversity. We just need to understand what is going on in the body and not be averse to shedding unnecessary fiber.