A villus expanding agent of an animal including human is provided to improve digestion by promoting the expansion of the villus of the small intestine. A villus expanding agent of an animal comprises lactic acid bacteria(provided that EGF producing recombinant lactic acid bacteria are excluded), a killed body thereof and a treated material thereof as effective ingredients, wherein the lactic acid bacteria are microorganisms of an Enterococcus sp. and they are administered orally or nasally. Further, the microorganisms of an Enterococcus sp. are Enterococcus faecalis.本發明提供一種可在包含人類之動物中，促進小腸之絨毛伸長而改善消化吸收之絨毛伸長劑。本發明係在培養乳酸菌後，以水洗淨除去培養基成分，並予過熱殺菌，對於人類乳幼兒或斷奶期之仔豬做經口或經鼻投與，促進其小腸之絨毛伸張，藉此而改善消化吸收不良。此外，還可改善小腸切除之短腸症候群的患者之消化吸收，而改善低營養狀態。作為上述乳酸菌，特別好的是糞腸球菌(Enterococcus faecalis)EC-12。
