C3H/HeJ mice were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) and choleratoxin (CT) for 5 weeks, and then Bifidobacterium bifidum BGN4 was administered continuously for 7 weeks, starting 2 weeks before (pre-treatment group) and 2 weeks after (post-treatment group) the initial sensitization. After sensitization, the OVA-induced (sham group) mice showed growth inhibition and had scab-covered tails which was associated with serum levels of 9887 +/- 175 ng OVA-specific IgE/ml and 758 +/- 525 ng IgG1/ml. The sera of the pre-treatment group had 4805 +/- 245 ng OVA-specific IgE/ml and 193 +/- 87 ng IgG1/ml, as well as less severe tail symptoms. The sera of the post-treatment group had 5723 +/- 207 ng OVA-specific IgE/ml but the IgG1 and IgG2a levels were the same as those of the sham group. In spleen cultures, both pre-treatment and post-treatment increased the levels of IFN-gamma but decreased the levels of IL-6 and IL-18. Taken together, the in vivo and in vitro results show that treatment with Bifidobacterium before OVA sensitization suppresses or modulates the allergic response more effectively than treatment with Bifidobacterium following OVA sensitization.