Gastrointestinal infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, particularly in developing countries. The use of probiotics to prevent and treat a variety of diarrheal diseases has gained favor in recent years. Examples where probiotics have positively impacted gastroenteritis will be highlighted. However, the overall efficacy of these treatments and the mechanisms by which ...

Sir, The World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations have defi ned probiotics as “live microorganisms, which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefi t on the host.” They are also called “friendly bacteria” or “good bacteria.” The concept of probiotics arose at the turn of the 20th century from a hypothesis fi rst proposed by t...

Media reports on probiotics have been conflicting which has led to increased confusion among the general population and also among health professionals. To disentangle myths and reality, the British Nutrition Foundation has carried out a review on probiotics and health. There is good evidence that probiotics are effective in preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and, although only few stud...

Candidais an opportunistic pathogen that causes mucosal and deep systemic candidiasis. The emergence of drug resistance and the side effects of currently available antifungals have restricted their use as long-term prophylactic agents for candidal infections. Given this scenario, probiotics have been suggested as a useful alternative for the management of candidiasis. We analyzed the available ...

BACKGROUND Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is characterised by subtle neurocognitive deficits without overt clinical manifestations. Although several trials have individually evaluated the role of prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics, there is yet no consensus on the management of MHE. AIM To estimate the efficacy of prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics in MHE in randomised controlled ...

Probiotic bacteria are used to balance a disturbed intestinal microflora and dysfunctions of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). They could be an effective alternative to the use of synthetic substances in nutrition and medicine. We investigated the effect of probiotics and potentiated probiotics on the productivity of laying hens. An experiment was carried out on 30 hens of the Hyssex layer hybr...

Probiotics contain microorganisms, most of which are bacteria similar to the beneficial bacteria that occur naturally in the human gut. Probiotics have been widely studied in a variety of gastrointestinal diseases. The most-studied species include Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Saccharomyces. However, a lack of clear guidelines on when to use probiotics and the most effective probiotic for...

The European Food Safety Authority has rejected all petitions of health claims on probiotics due to insufficient research, the American Food and Drug Association (FDA) sent warning letters to probiotics manufacturers for using exaggerated claims which are not supported by clinical evidence of efficacy. Despite that, Western Europe still considered the leading consumer of probiotics (8.3 billion...

Our understanding of the role of the microbiota in our gut and other sites in our body is rapidly emerging and could lead to many new and innovative approaches for health care. The promise of the potential role of probiotics for the prevention and treatment of enteric and other infections as an effective solution needs to be realized. The meeting report summarizes the insights and learning from...

Results We analyzed 20 manuscripts (13 Randomized clinical trial and 7 Meta-analysis) that were published from 2005 to 2014 and that analyze 3025 neonates. Analysis of the best evidences revealed that probiotics may have beneficial effects in the prevention of NEC, however current studies have failed to control for numerous confounding variables such as breast feeding rates, antibiotic exposure...