Journal Article•
Probiotics in man and animals
TL;DR: These are all areas where the gut flora can be altered for the worse and where, by the administration of probiotics, the natural balance of the gut microflora can be restored and the animal returned to its normal nutrition, growth and health status.
Abstract: There is good evidence that the complex microbial flora present in the gastrointestinal tract of all warm-blooded animals is effective in providing resistance to disease. However, the composition of this protective flora can be altered by dietary and environmental influences, making the host animal susceptible to disease and/or reducing its efficiency of food utilization. What we are doing with the probiotic treatments is re-establishing the natural condition which exists in the wild animal but which has been disrupted by modern trends in conditions used for rearing young animals, including human babies, and in modern approaches to nutrition and disease therapy. These are all areas where the gut flora can be altered for the worse and where, by the administration of probiotics, the natural balance of the gut microflora can be restored and the animal returned to its normal nutrition, growth and health status.
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TL;DR: Gut microflora might be a hitherto unexplored source of natural immunomodulators and probiotics, for prevention of atopic disease in children at high risk.
2,429 citations
TL;DR: The future use of prebiotics may allow species-level changes in the microbiota, an extrapolation into genera other than the bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, and allow preferential use in disease-prone areas of the body.
Abstract: Prebiotics are non-digestible (by the host) food ingredients that have a beneficial effect through their selective metabolism in the intestinal tract. Key to this is the specificity of microbial changes. The present paper reviews the concept in terms of three criteria: (a) resistance to gastric acidity, hydrolysis by mammalian enzymes and gastrointestinal absorption; (b) fermentation by intestinal microflora; (c) selective stimulation of the growth and/or activity of intestinal bacteria associated with health and wellbeing. The conclusion is that prebiotics that currently fulfil these three criteria are fructo-oligosaccharides, galacto-oligosaccharides and lactulose, although promise does exist with several other dietary carbohydrates. Given the range of food vehicles that may be fortified by prebiotics, their ability to confer positive microflora changes and the health aspects that may accrue, it is important that robust technologies to assay functionality are used. This would include a molecular-based approach to determine flora changes. The future use of prebiotics may allow species-level changes in the microbiota, an extrapolation into genera other than the bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, and allow preferential use in disease-prone areas of the body.
2,312 citations
TL;DR: This review describes the state of the art of probiotic research in the culture of fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and live food, with an evaluation of the results obtained so far.
Abstract: There is an urgent need in aquaculture to develop microbial control strategies, since disease outbreaks are recognized as important constraints to aquaculture production and trade and since the development of antibiotic resistance has become a matter of growing concern. One of the alternatives to antimicrobials in disease control could be the use of probiotic bacteria as microbial control agents. This review describes the state of the art of probiotic research in the culture of fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and live food, with an evaluation of the results obtained so far. A new definition of probiotics, also applicable to aquatic environments, is proposed, and a detailed description is given of their possible modes of action, i.e., production of compounds that are inhibitory toward pathogens, competition with harmful microorganisms for nutrients and energy, competition with deleterious species for adhesion sites, enhancement of the immune response of the animal, improvement of water quality, and interaction with phytoplankton. A rationale is proposed for the multistep and multidisciplinary process required for the development of effective and safe probiotics for commercial application in aquaculture. Finally, directions for further research are discussed.
2,072 citations
TL;DR: The antimicrobial actions of bile are described, the variations in bile tolerance between bacterial genera are assessed and the relationship between bile and virulence is examined.
Abstract: Commensal and pathogenic microorganisms must resist the deleterious actions of bile in order to survive in the human gastrointestinal tract. Herein we review the current knowledge on the mechanisms by which Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria contend with bile stress. We describe the antimicrobial actions of bile, assess the variations in bile tolerance between bacterial genera and examine the interplay between bile stress and other stresses. The molecular mechanisms underlying bile tolerance are investigated and the relationship between bile and virulence is examined. Finally, the potential benefits of bile research are briefly discussed.
1,467 citations
TL;DR: The probiotic concept is confined to effects exerted by viable microorganisms but is applicable independent of the site of action and route of administration, and may include sites such as the oral cavity, the intestine, the vagina, and the skin.
1,418 citations
References
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TL;DR: Quantitative and qualitative examination of the fecal flora of 20 clinically healthy Japanese-Hawaiian males was carried out by using anaerobic tube culture techniques, and differential characteristics of previously unreported species are presented.
Abstract: Quantitative and qualitative examination of the fecal flora of 20 clinically healthy Japanese-Hawaiian males was carried out by using anaerobic tube culture techniques Cultural counts were 93% of the microscopic clump counts Isolated colonies were selected in a randomized manner to give an unbiased sampling of the viable bacterial types Each isolate was characterized for species identification From a total of 1,147 isolates, 113 distinct types of organisms were observed Statistical estimates indicate that these types account for 94% of the viable cells in the feces The quantitative composition of the flora of this group of people, together with differential characteristics of previously unreported species, is presented for those kinds of bacteria which each represented at least 005% of the flora
1,123 citations
TL;DR: A consistent 50-percent increase in growth has been obtained with Tetrahymena pyriformis in response to a factor produced by Colpidium campylum.
Abstract: Several species of protozoa, during their logarithmic phases of growth, produce substances that prolong the logarithmic phase in other species. The effect is not as striking as the inhibition of growth caused by antibiotics, but a consistent 50-percent increase in growth has been obtained with Tetrahymena pyriformis in response to a factor produced by Colpidium campylum.
1,078 citations
TL;DR: POULTRY are a considerable reservoir of salmonellae and a common source of infection in human Salmonella epidemics, and in 1971 a severe outbreak ofSalmonella infantis infection occurred among Finnish broiler flocks.
Abstract: POULTRY are a considerable reservoir of salmonellae and a common source of infection in human Salmonella epidemics1. In 1971 a severe outbreak of Salmonella infantis infection occurred among Finnish broiler flocks, and 277 human cases2 were diagnosed as caused by the same serotype. The broiler industry suffered serious losses through confiscation of broiler meat and elimination of infected birds.
903 citations
TL;DR: Germ-free mice contaminated with the intestinal flora of an antibiotic-treated animal and their offspring housed in a germ-free isolator showed high values of CR, and apparently, these anaerobes are responsible for CR in these and in conventional mice.
Abstract: The effect of oral administration of antibiotics on the intestinal flora of conventional mice and their resistance to colonization by orally introduced Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was studied. Colonization resistance (CR) was expressed as the log of the oral bacterial dose followed by a persistent take in 50% of the contaminated animals. The intestinal flora was virtually eliminated by the antibiotics and this elimination was accompanied by a precipitous fall of CR. CR gradually returned to normal values during the period of repopulation of the intestinal tract by the organisms surviving the treatment. Antibiotic treatment resulted in the disappearance of Enterobacteriaceae, enterococci, staphylococci and yeasts and, under appropriate housing conditions, the animals remained free of these organisms indefinitely. Germ-free mice contaminated with the intestinal flora of an antibiotic-treated animal and their offspring housed in a germ-free isolator showed high values of CR. Their intestinal flora consisted of anaerobic bacteria only. Apparently, these anaerobes are responsible for CR in these and in conventional mice.
813 citations
TL;DR: An in vitro test system for screening potential cultures for use as human dietary adjuncts can be developed and from the survival and adhesion data it seems feasible to obtain elevated levels of viable Lactobacillus sp.
694 citations