IDRR APRIL -MAY -JUNE 2020 - Flipbook - Page 68
INTERDISCIPLINARY
PROBIOTICS
WHAT ARE PROBIOTICS?
‘Probiotics’ are defined as living micro organisms ,
principally bacteria, that are safe for human
consumption & when ingested in sufficient quantities,
have beneficial effects on human health, beyond
basic nutrition. This definition has been approved by
the United Nations food & agriculture organization &
the world health organization WHO.
The term PROBIOTIC, meaning ‘For Life’ was first
coined in the 1960 s, by Lilly & Stillwell.
In 1907 the Ukrainian born biologist & Nobel laureate
Elie metchniikoff realized that consumption of Bulgarian
yoghurt (which contains lactic acid bacteria) was
good for health. Metchnikoff worked at the Pasteur
Institute in Paris & had discovered Lactobacillus
bulgaricus, a strain he later introduced into commercial
production of sour milk products in France & throughout
Europe. He devoted the last decade of his life to the
study of Lactic acid producing bacteria as a means
of increasing human longevity.
Probiotics are the viable bacteria that benefit the
host by improving its intestinal microbial balance.
These bacteria have to belong to the natural flora in
order to be able to resist acid & bile, survive during
intestinal transit, to adhere to the intestinal mucosa,
and to produce antimicrobial substances in order to
retain the characteristics that contribute to their
beneficial health effects. A number of bacterial
strains have been isolated and studies with a view to
clinical use. The most commonly used & studied
probiotics are Lactobacilii & bifidobacteria, and their
general characteristics include human origin. All the
probiotics do not have the same efficacy. It is important that the potential probiotic strains are well characterized prior to use.
CHARACTERISTICS OF PROBIOTICS
The germs & species of the microorganism must be
July-August-September 2019
identified according to internationally accepted
methods & its nominator corroborated by reference
to the approved lists of bacterial names. In addition
both in vitro & in vivo studies must be conducted to
demonstrate the mechanism of probiotics, to allow
prediction of its scope of applicability & its potential
side effects. The FAO & the WHO have
recommended that probiotic bacterial strains
characterized by their spectrum of resistance to
antibiotics , their metabolic & hemolytic activities,
their capacity to produce toxins, their infectious
power in immunosuppressed animal models & their
side effects in human. Probiotics that have been so
characterized are then submitted to randomize
clinical studies.
A combination of strains can
enhance adherence in a synergistic manner.
PROBIOTICS & ORAL ECOLOGY
Lactobacillus rhamnosus is the most widely studied
probiotic bacterium. It was originally isolated from
human intestine in 1985 & named after the discoverer,
It has been shown to produce a substance with
potential inhibitory activity against different bacterial
species, including cariogenic streptococcus species.
Recently, it was shown that long term consumption of
milk containing LGG caused a significant reduction in
caries risk in day care children. Previously it had been
observed, by investigation of a test panel of students
who consumed twice daily experimental yoghurt
made with LGG, that this bacterium could temporarily
colonize in the oral cavity. Two weeks after termination
of the trial, saliva cultures were still positive in 8
subjects out of nine in this pilot study. However, there
are no data to show whether or not the probiotic
action, such as the caries inhibiting effect continues
after consuming the bacteria. There are no
corresponding reports from oral colonization patterns
of probiotic bacteria. Colonization of streptococcus
oralis , veillonella dispar, Actinomyces naeslundi & of
the cariogenic streptococcus sobrinus .These findings
encourage further research with selected non
pathogenic dairy bacterial strains with the aim to
decrease the cariogenic potential & dental plaque.
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