Antimicrobial activity of crude acetone extract from the aerial part of Withania somnifera was tested in vitro against six pathogenic bacteria viz., Bacillus cereus, B. subtilis, Staphylococcus epidermis, S. aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae and S. pyogenes and five bifidobacteria viz., Bifidobacterium animalis, B. breve, B. catenulatum, B. infantis and B. longum evaluating its potential harmful...

OBJECTIVES Bifidobacterium species are one of the major components of the infant's intestine microbiota. Colonization with bifidobacteria in early infancy is suggested to be important for health in later life. However, information remains limited regarding the source of these microbes. Here, we investigated whether specific strains of bifidobacteria in the maternal intestinal flora are transmit...

Bifidobacteria are Gram-positive prokaryotes that naturally colonize the human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and vagina. Although not numerically dominant in the complex intestinal microflora, they are considered as key commensals that promote a healthy GIT. We determined the 2.26-Mb genome sequence of an infant-derived strain of Bifidobacterium longum, and identified 1,730 possible coding seque...

CONTEXT The ingestion of gluten is responsible for the symptoms of Celiac disease, but other environmental factors can also influence. Strains of the Bifidobacterium genus have been shown to afford protection against the inflammatory response and mucosal damage caused by gliadin peptides in vitro. OBJECTIVES This study was designed to compare the concentration of fecal bifidobacteria and pH o...

Health-promoting effects have been attributed to a number of Bifidobacterium sp. strains. These effects as well as the ability to colonise the host depend on secreted proteins. Moreover, rational design of protein secretion systems bears the potential for the generation of novel probiotic bifidobacteria with improved health-promoting or therapeutic properties. To date, there is only very limite...

The gastrointestinal tracts of breast-fed infants are colonized more easily with bifidobacteria than are those of formula-fed infants. Colonization is thought to reduce infant diarrhea. Amendments to formulas that improve colonization by bifidobacteria are being actively investigated. Colonization studies almost invariably require measurements of the concentration of the bifidobacteria in feces...

Clostridium perfringens-induced necrotic enteritis is generally controlled by antibiotics. However, because of increasing antibiotic resistance, other antibacterial agents are required, preferably ones that do not affect the beneficial intestinal microbiota of the host. This study evaluated the in vitro selective growth-inhibitory effect of 8-hydroxyquinoline (8HQ) on C. perfringens vs. bifidob...

BACKGROUND To determine the correlation between obesity in school-aged children and imbalance of gut microbes by examining the ratio change of intestinal Bifidobacteria and E.coli in obese children compared to non-obese controls. METHODS A hospital-based 1:1 case-control study was performed. Fecal samples of the subjects were collected for DNA extraction and analyzed by quantitative real-time...

16SrDNA-targeted genus- and species-specific PCR primers have been developed and used for the identification and detection of bifidobacteria. These primers cover all of the described species that inhabit the human gut, or occur in dairy products. Identification of cultured bifidobacteria using PCR primer pairs is rapid and accurate, being based on nucleic acid sequences. Detection of bifidobact...

The intestinal microbiota has increasingly been shown to have a vital role in various aspects of human health. Indeed, several studies have linked alterations in the gut microbiota with the development of different diseases. Among the vast gut bacterial community, Bifidobacterium is a genus which dominates the intestine of healthy breast-fed infants whereas in adulthood the levels are lower but...