Evaluation of antiviral activity of Bacillus licheniformis-fermented products against porcine epidemic diarrhea virus

Bacillus licheniformis (B. licheniformis) is commonly used as probiotic and its secondary metabolites are attractive anti-microbial candidate. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the antiviral activity of crude extracts from B. licheniformis against porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), a highly contagious enveloped porcine virus that has caused great economic loss in pigs. In vivo, PEDV-infected piglets supplemented with air-dried solid state fermentative cultivate containing B. licheniformis-fermented products (BLFP) showed milder clinical symptoms and decreased viral shedding. Importantly, no significant systemic pathological lesions and no reduction in average daily gain were noted in pigs supplemented with the BLFP, which suggests that it is safe for use in pigs. In vitro experiments revealed that while B. licheniformis crude extracts exhibited no toxicity in Vero cells, co-cultivation of B. licheniformis crude extracts with PEDV significantly reduced viral infection and replication. Summarized current results suggest that the B. licheniformis-fermented products could be a novel candidate food additive for reducing the impact of PED on the swine industry.