Figure 1 Effects of probiotics on interactions of bacteria with gut epithelial cells. Rats from both basal (control) and probiotic treated groups were subjected to either water avoidance stress (WAS) or sham stress for 10 days, for one hour/day. Representative photomicrographs of Giemsa stained sections of ileum mucosa show normal ileal mucosa from control (A) and probiotic treated (B) rats with sham stress. (C) Ileal mucosa in rats subjected to WAS demonstrated a large number of bacteria in contact with the apical surface of the epithelium. (D) Ileal mucosa in probiotic + WAS rats; no bacteria were observed in contact with the epithelium. Minimum of four rats per group, 2–4 sections/rat. Approximate original magnifications ×400.