FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a medicine or food which potentiates an immune function of a human being or an animal to thereby protect the human being or the animal from infection, or a feed having an immunopotentiative action.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In recent years, a progress in immunology has allowed to think that various maladies and infectious diseases of a human being and an animal are caused by the lowering or incompleteness in the immune function.

For example, a human being suffers in many cases, from lowering or incompletness in the immune function due to bronchial asthma, allergic diseases, articular rheumatism, autoimmune diseases, nutritional disorders, surgical operation, aging, cancer, organ transplantation, pregnancy, etc., resulting in the complication of an infectious disease such as respiratory infection, sepsis and urinary tract infection.

Various antibiotics have so far been administered

for with such maladies or infectious diseases. Meanwhile, large-scaled running or overcrowded raising has been employed in the fields of an animal husbandry and an aquaculture in order to efficiently raise livestock, poultries or fish, and in such raising, dosing of antibiotics in a large amount has been employed.

However, repeated administration of an antibiotic for a long time generates a resistant bacillus to decrease an efficacy of a specific antibiotic. Further, there is involved a problem of a hospital infection which an attention has recently been paid to. Accordingly, it has been expected to develop a preventive and therapeutic agent which can raise an immune function itself while reducing a dose of an antibiotic.

Meanwhile, the overcrowded raising employed in the fields of the animal husbandry and the aquaculture provides a problem that various infectious diseases are generated in many cases because of stress and juvenile immunodeficiency. Dosing of an antibiotic in a large amount employed as a countermeasure therefor in turn has caused the problems that the antibiotic remains and that a resistant bacillus increases.

Various materials having an immunopotentiative action has so far been investigated. It is known that Bacillus subtilis Natto (Bacillus lubcillis) , Bacillus celleus, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Clostridium have a little immunopotentiative action. With respect to egg white, the immunopotentiative action thereof has been found out by the present inventors (Japanese patent publication-A 3-251573).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Under such background, the present inventors have continued intensive investigations for a long time on an immunopotentiative and infection-protective agent which is safe for a human being or an animal to find out that the administration of an agent comprising two or more members in combination selected from Bacillus subtilis, egg white and garlic can synergistically increase the respective immunopotentiative actions to come to complete the present invention.

That is, the present invention relates to an immunopotentiative and infection-protective agent comprising two or more members in combination selected from bacillus, egg white and garlic. The above bacillus is selected from the group consisting of Bacillus subtilis Natto (Bacillus lubcillis), Bacillus celleus, Lactobacillus lactis, Lactobacillus casei,

Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Clostridium.

The invention relates to the use of the above defined combination of two or more members for the pharmacological treatment and prevention of human being and animal. It can be administered to human being in the form of medicine and to an animal, such as a mammal, in the form of medicine and feed. Accordingly the invention relates to a pharmacological composition and a feed composition.

The invention provides a pharmacological method for treating or preventing a disease by administering a pharmacologically effective amount of the combination to human being or an animal by virtue of an immunopotentiative action, an infection protective action and/or an infection preventing action to provide by the combination of the invention.

The invention provides use of the combination for manufacturing a pharmacological agent for treating or preventing a disease by virtue of an immunopotentiative action, an infection protective action and/or an infection preventing action to provide by the combination of the invention.

Bacillus may, in the invention, include Bacillus substilis Natto, Streptococcus faecalis, Clostridium butyricum, Lactobacillus lactis and Bifidobacterium

bifidum.

Bacillus may further includes Bacillaceae, Enterococcus and Lactobacillaceae. It may further includes Bacillus, Streptococcus, Clostridium and Lactobacillus.

Egg white includes natural egg white powder, egg white powder produced by fermenting with a bacillus or an enzyme to remove saccharides, sterilizing and drying and egg white powder produced by fermenting with a digesting enzyme.

Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide an immunopotentiative and infection- protective agent which can potentiate an immune function by dosing to a human being, a livestock, a poultry, and a fish and protect against various infectious diseases.

The bacillus used in the present invention is selected from the bacilli described above. The condition of the bacillus is not specifically limited, and either raw bacillus or dead bacillus can be used. Any of them is commercially available and can readily be obtained. A nutrient type is preferred.

The egg white used in the present invention is not specifically limited, and there can be used raw egg white, whole egg powder, or enzyme-treated egg

white, and those containing a component constituting the egg white.

The preparing processes of the egg white will be shown below.

(1) Raw egg white is subjected to a fermentation treatment (desugar treatment) with bacteria or fungus (e.g., yeast) and a sterilization treatment and then to drying and a pulverization treatment to prepare egg white powder.

(2) Raw egg white is subjected to a fermentation treatment (desugar treatment) with bacteria or fungus (e.g., yeast) and a sterilization treatment. The egg white thus treated is subjected to removal of lysozyme with a conventional ion exchange resin deposition process or isoelectric crystallization process and then to drying to prepare egg white powder.

(3) Raw egg white is subjected to an enzyme (digestive enzyme and others) treatment.

(4) Raw egg white is subjected to a fermentation treatment (desugar treatment) with bacteria or fungus (e.g., yeast) and a sterilization treatment and then to an enzyme (digestive enzyme and others) treatment.

Further, a bulb is used as the garlic used in the present invention, and the form thereof is not specifically limited. The form thereof is not cared,

such as raw or dried one, as long as a component constituting the bulb of the garlic is contained.

The term "immunopotentiation" used in the present invention means the potentiation of an immune function of a human being, a livestock, a poultry, a fish, an animal including pets.

Accordingly, the increase in the immune function of a human being or an animal by the present invention allows the present invention to be useful for the prevention and treatment of various diseases and as a preventive and therapeutic agent for various infectious diseases. Accordingly, a case therefor is not specifically limited. In the case of a human being, it includes, for example, articular rheumatism, autoimmune disease, bronchial asthma, nutritional disorders, surgical operation, diseases due to aging, and various infectious diseases such as respiratory infection, sepsis and urinary tract infection.

In the case of an animal, the case therefor includes, for example, scours, epizootic pneumonia, atrophic rhinitis and infectious enterogastritis of a pig, pneumonia and Marek's disease of a chicken, scours, pneumonia and mastitis of a cattle, and AIDS and leukemia of a pet.

Further, the infectious disease of a cultivated

fish or fish to which the present invention is applied is not specifically limited, and it is extended over a wide range of, for example, bacterial diseases such as streptococcosis and nodosity, and viral infectious diseases.

The dosage of the immunopotentiative and infection-protective agent in the present invention is not specifically limited since it is varied according to a dosing form and an animal to which it is dosed.

For example, administering it to a livestock such as a pig, the dosage is usually 5 mg or more, preferably 10 mg or more, and further preferably 50 mg or more per kg of the body weight. Using it for a feed, the dosage is adjusted in an ordinary manner so that it becomes the same dosage as that described above. Dosing to a human being, the dosage therefor also corresponds thereto.

The present invention comprises two or more members in combination selected from bacillus, egg white and garlic. The compounding ratio of the two members is not specifically limited, and it is usually 1 : 1 to 100, preferably 1 : 1 to 50, further preferably 1 : 20 in terms of a weight ratio. Among them, a preferred combination is bacillus and egg white or garlic and egg white.

Further, the compounding ratio of bacillus, egg white and garlic is not specifically limited. Usually, it is 1 : 1 to 100 : 1 to 100, preferably 1 : 1 to 50 : 1 to 50, and further preferably 1 : 1 to 20 : 1 to 20.

The dosing form of the immunopotentiative and infection-protective agent according to the present invention is not specifically limited. In the case where it is administered to a livestock and a poultry, it can be dosed, mixed with a feed.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a feed comprising two or more members in combination selected from bacillus, egg white and garlic and having an immunopotentiative and infection-protective action, wherein the above bacillus is one or more members selected from the group consisting of Bacillus subtilis Natto (Bacillus lubcillis), Bacillus celleus, Lactobacillus lactis, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Clostridium.

Further, the immunopotentiative and infection- protective agent according to the present invention can be added to a food to use as a food which is specifically aimed at the protection of the respective diseases and has a biological controlling function, i.e., a so-called functional food.

Further, the immunopotentiative and infection- protective agent according to the present invention does not have a problem on an influence by a resistant bacillus and residue, which is the case with an antibiotic, and therefore it can be used as well for a livestock such as pig, chicken, cow, and sheep, fish, and a pet (a dog, a cat and a bird) as a safe feed having a biological protective and controlling function, i.e., a functional feed.

In the case where the present invention is administered as a medicine or a so-called health food, it can be formulated into tablet, granule, powder, capsule or syrup. These preparations can be manufactured by mixing those comprising two or more members in combination selected from bacillus, egg white and garlic with a conventional filler, binder and lubricant for a pharmaceutical use by a conventional process.

It can be found from the following tests that the immunopotentiative and infection-protective agent according to the present invention has an excellent infection-protective action and accordingly that it is useful for the prevention and treatment of various maladies for a human being and an animal and as a preventive and therapeutic agent for various

infectious diseases, a functional food and a functional feed. Thus, the present invention has a high value. The conbinations of two or more members in the invention provides the invention with a synergitic effect for the purpose.

[Example]

The present invention will concretely be explained below by reference to the examples. The description on the dosage of the substances used in the examples, for example, "10 mg/kg p.o." means oral administration of 10 mg per kg of a body weight. Further, the symbols "*" and "*♦" used in the column of a x ² test in Tables 1 to 3 mean p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively.

Example 1

Bacillus subtilis Natto, egg white and garlic were orally administered to ten SLC:IRC male mice (age: 5 to 6 weeks, body weight: 26 to 33 g) in the combinations and amounts shown in Table 1, while physiological saline was orally administered thereto as a control. After 24 hours, clinically available Escherichia coli (5.0 x 10 ⁷ CFU/mouse, 0.2 ml) was intravenously inoculated into each mouse to obtain a survival rate based on the number of mice surviving after 7 days from the infection. The results are shown

in Table 1. Bacillus subtilis Natto was used in the form of bacillus which was dead by freezing and melting. Egg white powder was obtained by subjecting raw egg white to a fermantation (desugar treatment) and a sterilizing treatment and then to drying.

Table 1

Sample Survival X ² rate test

Control (physiological saline p.o.) 0

Bacillus subtilis Natto 1.0 x 10 ⁸ 20 (bacillus amount: CFU/mouse p.o.)

Garlic powder 500 mg/kg p.o. 10

Egg white powder 2000 mg/kg p.o. 50 *

Egg white powder 2000 mg/kg p.o. 90 ** Garlic powder 500 mg/kg p.o.

Egg white powder 2000 mg/kg P-o. 90 ** Bacillus subtilis Natto 1.0 x 10° (bacillus amount: CFU/mouse p.o.)

Egg white powder 2000 mg/kg p.o. 100 ** Bacillus subtilis Natto 1.0 x 10 ⁸

CFU/mouse p.o. Garlic powder 500 mg/kg p.o.

Example 2

An experiment was carried out in the same manner as that in Example 1 except that Bacillus subtilis Natto and garlic were orally administered to a mouse in the combinations and amounts shown in Table 2. The results are shown in Table 2.

Table 2

9

Sample Survival x test rate ( % )

Control 0

N 500 mg/kg 20 N 1 g/kg 40 * N 2 g/kg 70 **

BN 10 ⁷ CFU/mouse 10 BN 10 ⁸ CFU/mouse 40 * BN 10 ² CFU/mouse 80 **

N 500 mg/kg + BN 10^ CFU/mouse 100 ** N 1 g/kg + BN 10° CFU/mouse 100 »* N 2 g/kg + BN 10 ⁷ CFU/mouse 100 **

N; garlic, BN: Bacillus subtilis Natto

Example 3

An experiment was carried out in the same manner as that in Example 1 except that Streptococcus faecalis and garlic were orally administered to a mouse in the combinations and amounts shown in Table 3. The results are shown in Table 3.

Table 3

Sample Survival x ² test rate . % )

Control 0

N 500 mg/kg 20 N 1 g/kg 40 N 2 g/kg 70 ♦ «

SF 10 ⁷ CFU/mouse 0 SF 10 ⁸ CFU/mouse 20 SF 10 ² CFU/mouse 40 *

N 500 mg/kg + SF 10;j CFU/mouse 70 ** N 1 g/kg + SF 10? CFU/mouse 70 *# N 2 g/kg + SF 10 ⁷ CFU/mouse 80 **

SF: Streptococcus faecalis

Example 4

An experiment was carried out in the same manner as that in Example 1 except that Streptococcus faecalis and egg white were orally administered to a mouse in the combinations and amounts shown in Table 4. The results are shown in Table 4.

Table 4

Sample Survival x ² test rate ( % )

Control 0

EW 500 mg/kg 10 EW 1 g/kg 30 EW 2 g/kg 50 *

SF 10 ⁷ CFU/mouse 0 SF 10? CFU/mouse 20 SF 10 ² CFU/mouse 40 *

EW 2 g/kg + SF 10 ⁷ CFU/mouse 60 ** EW 1 g/kg + SF 10? CFU/mouse 90 ** EW 2 g/kg + SF 10 ² CFU/mouse 100 **

EW: egg white

Example 5

An experiment was carried out in the same manner as that in Example 1 except that Bifidobacterium bifidum, egg white and garlic were orally administered to a mouse in the combinations and amounts shown in Table 5. The results are shown in Table 5.

Table 5

Sample Survival x ² test rate ( % )

Control 0

EW 500 mg/kg 10 EW 1 g/kg 30 EW 2 g/kg 50 *

N 500 mg/kg 20 N 1 g/kg 40 * N 2 g/kg 70 **

BB 10 ⁷ CFU/mouse 0 BB 10 ⁸ CFU/mouse 30 BB 10 ² CFU/mouse 50 *

EW 500 mg/kg + N 500 mg/kg 90 **

+ BB 10 ⁹ CFU/mouse EW 1 g/kg + N 1 g/kg 100 **

+ BB 10 ⁸ CFU/mouse

BB: Bifidobacterium bifidum

Example 6

An experiment was carried out in the same manner as that in Example 1 except that Clostridium and garlic were orally administered to a mouse in the combinations and amounts shown in Table 6. The results are shown in Table 6.

Table 6

Sample Survival x ² test rate ( % )

Control 0

N 500 mg/kg 20 N 1 g/kg 40 * N 2 g/kg 70 **

CB 10 ⁷ CFU/mouse 10 CB 10? CFU/mouse 30 #* CB 10 ² CFU/mouse 60 **

N 500 mg/kg + CB 10 ⁹ CFU/mouse 90 •** N 1 g/kg + CB 10? CFU/mouse 90 ** N 2 g/kg + CB 10 ⁷ CFU/mouse 100 **

CB: Clostridium tuyricam

Example 7

An experiment was carried out in the same manner as that in Example 1 except that Bacillus subtilis Natto, egg white and garlic were orally administered to a mouse in the combinations and amounts shown in Table 7. The results are shown in Table 7.

Table 7

Sample Survival x ² test rate (%)

Control 0

EW 500 mg/kg 10 EW 1 g/kg 30 EW 2 g/kg 50 *

N 500 mg/kg 20 N 1 g/kg 40 * N 2 g/kg 70 #»

BN 10 ⁷ CFU/mouse 10 BN 10? CFU/mouse 40 BN 10 ² CFU/mouse 80 *

EW 500 mg/kg + BN 10 ⁷ CFU/mouse 30 EW 500 mg/kg + BN 10? CFU/mouse 80 ** EW 500 mg/kg + BN 10 ² CFU/mouse 100 **

EW 500 mg/kg + N 500 mg/kg 100 •*

+ BN 10 ⁸ CFU/mouse EW 1 g/kg + N 1 g/kg 100 **

+ BN 10 ⁷ CFU/mouse

Example 8

An experiment was carried out in the same manner as that in Example 1 except that Streptococcus faecalis, egg white and garlic were orally administered to a mouse in the combinations and amounts shown in Table 8. The results are shown in Table 8.

Table 8

Sample Survival x ² test rate { % )

Control 0

EW 500 mg/kg 10 EW 1 g/kg 30 EW 2 g/kg 50 ♦

N 500 mg/kg 20 N 1 g/kg 40 * N 2 g/kg 70 **

SF 10 ⁷ CFU/mouse 0 SF 10 ⁸ CFU/mouse 20 SF 10 ² CFU/mouse 40 *

EW 500 mg/kg + N 500 mg/kg 80

+ SF 10 ⁹ CFU/mouse EW 1 g/kg + N 1 g/kg 100 •*

+ SF 10 ⁸ CFU/mouse

Example 9

An experiment was carried out in the same manner as that in Example 1 except that Bifidobacterium bifidum, egg white and garlic were orally administered to a mouse in the combinations and amounts shown in Table 9. The results are shown in Table 9.

Table 9

Sample Survival x ² test rate { % )

Control 0

N 500 mg/kg 20 N 1 g/kg 40 * N 2 g/kg 70 **

EW 500 mg/kg 10 EW 1 g/kg 30 EW 2 g/kg 50 *

BB 10 ⁷ CFU/mouse 0 BB 10? CFU/mouse 30 BB 10 ² CFU/mouse 50 *

EW 500 mg/kg + BB 10 ⁹ CFU/mouse 80 ** EW 1 g/kg + BB 10? CFU/mouse 80 *# EW 2 g/kg + BB 10 ⁷ CFU/mouse 90 #*

EW 2 g/kg + BB 10 ⁷ CFU/mouse 50 * EW 2 g/kg + BB 10 ⁸ CFU/mouse 80 ** EW 2 g/kg + BB 10 ² CFU/mouse 100 **

Example 10

An experiment was carried out in the same manner as that in Example 1 except that Clostridium, egg white and garlic were orally administered to a mouse in the combinations and amounts shown in Table 10. The results are shown in Table 10.

Table 10

Sample Survival x ² test rate (%)

Control 0

EW 500 mg/kg 10 EW 1 g/kg 30 EW 2 g/kg 50 *

N 500 mg/kg 20 N 1 g/kg 40 » N 2 g/kg 70 **

CB 10 ⁷ CFU/mouse 10 CB 10° CFU/mouse 30 CB 10 ² CFU/mouse 60 **

EW 500 mg/kg + CB 10 ⁹ CFU/mouse 60 ** EW 1 g/kg + CB 10? CFU/mouse 90 ** EW 2 g/kg + CB 10 ⁷ CFU/mouse 100 »#

EW 500 mg/kg + N 500 mg/kg 100

+ CB 10 ⁹ CFU/mouse EW 1 g/kg + N 1 g/kg 100 **

+ CB 10 ⁸ CFU/mouse

Example 11

An experiment was carried out in the same manner as that in Example 1 except for using a preparation of egg white powder or a composition (abbreviated as AHSF) obtained by mixing Bacillus subtilis Natto at 10 9

CFU, starsh as a filler, egg white powder and garlic in the weight ratio of 1 : 1 : 1 were orally administered to a mouse in the amounts shown in Fig. 1. The results are shown in Fig. 1.

As shown in Tables 1 to 10 and Fig. 1, the immunopotentiative and infection-protective agent

according to the present invention showed higher effects against (synergistic effect) Escherichia coli infection than the sum (additive effect) of each single infection-protective effect.

The preparation of egg white powder and the AHSF each were orally administered to ten SLC:IRC male mice (age: 5 to 6 weeks, body weight: 26 to 33 g) in the amounts shown in Table 11 for 5 days (once per day) before inoculating virus, immediately after inoculating virus, one day after inoculating virus, and two days after inoculating virus (totally eight times). Sterilized water 0.5 ml was orally administered to a mouse for control.

Clinically available Aujesky virus 6.25 PFU/mouse was intraperitoneally inoculated into each mouse to obtain a survival rate based on the number of mice surviving on the seventh day after an infection. Results are shown in Table 11.

Table 11

Sample Survival x ² test rate (%)

Control 0.5 ml 20

Egg white powder 500 mg/kg 20 Egg white powder 1 g/kg 50 * Egg white powder 2 g/kg 50 *

AHSF 500 mg/kg 30 AHSF 1 g/kg 60 ** AHSF 2 g/kg 70 **

It has been oberved that AHSF reveals an immunoprotective effect against Aujesky virus infection by oral administration. In a pig, the dosage of AHSF can be reduced and therefore it can be expected that AHSF according to the present invention will be useful to a pig Aujesky disease.