Probiotics to counteract biofilm-associated infections: promising and conflicting data - PubMed (original) (raw)

Review

Probiotics to counteract biofilm-associated infections: promising and conflicting data

Claudia Vuotto et al. Int J Oral Sci. 2014 Dec.

Abstract

Altered bowel flora is currently thought to play a role in a variety of disease conditions, and the use of Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. as probiotics has been demonstrated to be health-promoting, even if the success of their administration depends on the applied bacterial strain(s) and the targeted disease. In the last few decades, specific probiotics have been shown to be effective in the treatment or the prevention of acute viral gastroenteritis, pediatric post-antibiotic-associated diarrhea, some pediatric allergic disorders, necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants, inflammatory bowel diseases and postsurgical pouchitis. The potential application of probiotics is continuously widening, with new evidence accumulating to support their effect on the prevention and treatment of other disease conditions, including several oral diseases, such as dental caries, periodontal diseases and oral malodor, as well as genitourinary and wound infections. Considering the increasingly widespread ability of pathogens to generate persistent biofilm-related infections, an even more attractive proposal is to administer probiotics to prevent or counteract biofilm development. The response of biofilm-based oral, intestinal, vaginal and wound infections to probiotics treatment will be reviewed here in light of the most recent results obtained in this field.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1

Confocal laser scanning microscopy images of L. brevis CD2 and P. melaninogenica PM1 strains. (a, b) Strains growing as single species biofilms; (c) a 24 h mixed biofilm formed by both strains: in the upper left a superimposition of the images of P. melaninogenica PM1 biofilm (upper right) and of L. brevis CD2 biofilm (lower left) is shown.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Metchnikoff E. Optimistic study//Mitchell PC ed. The prolongation of life. New York: G P Putnam's Sons, 1910: 96.
    1. Podolsky S. Cultural divergence: Elie Metchnikoff's Bacillus bulgaricus therapy and his underlying concept of health. Bull Hist Med 1998; 72(1): 1–27. - PubMed
    1. Holzapfel WH, Haberer P, Snel J et al. Overview of gut flora and probiotics. Int J Food Microbiol 1998; 41(2): 85–101. - PubMed
    1. Rajilić-Stojanović M. Function of the microbiota. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol 2013; 27(1): 5–16. - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization. World Health Organization Report of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation of Evaluations of Health and Nutritional Properties of Probiotics in Food Including Powder Milk and Live Lactic Acid Bacteria. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2001.

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources