How probiotics can prevent disease
April 2, 2009Using probiotics successfully against a number of animal diseases has helped scientists from University College Cork, Ireland to understand some of the ways in which they work, which could lead to them using probiotics to prevent and even to treat human diseases.
Presenting the work at the Society for General Microbiology meeting in Harrogate today (Thursday 2 April), Dr Colin Hill described how his team had used three animal models of disease that have human counterparts - bovine mastitis, porcine salmonellosis (a gastrointestinal disease) and listeriosis in mice (an often fatal form of food poisoning) - to demonstrate the protective effects of probiotics.
"Rather than use commercially available probiotics, we made our own probiotic preparations containing safe bacteria such as Lactobacillus species newly isolated from human volunteers" said Dr Hill, "In all three animal diseases we observed a positive effect in that the animals were significantly protected against infection".
The team also used probiotics to control disease in animals that were already infected. The results of these tests proved that administering these safe bacteria to an infected animal was as effective as the best available antibiotic therapies in eliminating the infectious agent and resolving the symptoms.
In each instance the protection was linked to a particular bacterial species, and the mechanism of action varied from direct antagonism (where the probiotic directly kills the pathogenic bacteria) to effects mediated by the host immune system. For example Lactobacillus salivarius UCC118 protected mice against listeriosis (a disease which can affect pregnant women) by producing an antimicrobial peptide that eliminates Listeria monocytogenes in the gut of the animal. In another mechanism, Lactococcus lactis could be used to treat mastitis by eliciting an immune response that overwhelmed the infectious bacterium.
Dr Hill added, "It is likely that using probiotics rather than antibiotics will appeal to at-risk individuals since they are safe, non-invasive, do not create resistant bacteria and can even be administered in the form of tasty foods or beverages".
"We have shown that we can protect and even treat animals against pathogenic bacteria by introducing harmless bacteria at the site of the infection," said Dr Hill. "In order to use similar strategies in preventing or treating human disease we must understand the molecular basis of their efficacy. This understanding will provide the basis for intelligent screening and selection of the most appropriate protective bacterial cultures to go forward into human trials".
Source: Society for General Microbiology
-
What else may probiotics do in adults?
May 20, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Probiotic bacteria don't make eczema better -- and may have side effects
Oct 08, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Researchers find convincing evidence that probiotics are effective
Dec 17, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Study finds healthy intestinal bacteria within chicken eggs
Jun 02, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Mimic molecules to protect against plague
Jul 04, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Engineers build first sub-10-nm carbon nanotube transistor
Feb 01, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (30) |
30
-
Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes
Jan 31, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
-
The hidden nanoworld of ice crystals: Revealing the dynamic behavior of quasi-liquid layers
Jan 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
-
Stock market network reveals investor clustering
Jan 27, 2012 |
3.9 / 5 (23) |
8
-
Of microchemistry and molecules: Electronic microfluidic device synthesizes biocompatible probes
Jan 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
-
Cancer drugs and Alzheimer's, Oh my!
5 hours ago
-
Squishing cells
6 hours ago
-
Any books/articles for evolutionary stable strategy models in humans?
17 hours ago
-
Science behind the bore feeling?
23 hours ago
-
Homo Sapien vs. Chimpanzee - Divergence Timeline
Feb 09, 2012
-
a single mRNA strand is attached to sevaral ribosomes?
Feb 08, 2012
- More from Physics Forums - Biology
More news stories
Fighting crimes against biodiversity: How to catch a killer weed
Invasive species which have the potential to destroy biodiversity and influence global change could be tracked and controlled in the same way as wanted criminals, according to new research from Queen Mary, University of London.
10 minutes ago |
not rated yet |
0
Ultraviolet protection molecule in plants yields its secrets
Lying around in the sun all day is hazardous not just for humans but also for plants, which have no means of escape. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun can damage proteins and DNA inside cells, leading ...
13 hours ago |
5 / 5 (5) |
0
|
Deadly bird parasite evolves at exceptionally fast rate
A new study of a devastating bird disease that spread from poultry to house finches in the mid-1990s reveals that the bacteria responsible for the disease evolves at an exceptionally fast rate. What's more, ...
12 hours ago |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
|
Decoding the molecular machine behind E. coli and cholera
Scientists from Queen Mary, University of London have discovered the workings behind some of the bacteria that kill hundreds of thousands every year, possibly paving the way for new antibiotics that could treat infections ...
12 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
|
Deciding to go left or right: Researchers use device to determine that lower animals can navigate too
For decades, scientists have associated binary decision making opting to go left or right with higher-ranking animals, including humans. A team of Harvard researchers, however, is rewriting that ...
20 hours ago |
not rated yet |
2
|
A novel method for simultaneously measuring blood pressure and arterial stiffness
Arterial stiffness due to is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease but is very difficult to measure. It also can influence blood pressure readings since these rely on the time taken for arteries to return to normal ...
Study finds that red blood cell transfusion decreases fatigue in women with acute postpartum anemia
In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting , in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that show that in women with acute postpartum ...
Study weighs risks and benefits of birthing facilities
In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting , in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that indicate that the risk of obstetric intervention ...
Study finds in women with prior cesarean, optimal gestational age for elective delivery is week 39
In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that indicate that for women with prior delivery via ...
4.5 million Americans living with total knee replacement
New research presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) found that more than 4.5 million Americans are living with a total knee replacement (TKR), as the number of TKR surgeries ...
FDA-approved drug rapidly clears amyloid from the brain, reverses Alzheimer's symptoms in mice
Neuroscientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have made a dramatic breakthrough in their efforts to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease. The researchers' findings, published in the journal Science, show t ...