probiotic products highly affect the health of consumers by reducing the risk of heart attacks and improving the desirable microflora in the intestinal tract. in this study the effect of yogurt (500g/d for 3 wk) enriched with either bifidobacterium bifidum or lactobacillus acidophilus on the level of cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (ldl) and high density lipoprotein (hdl) of serum and ...

Since genetically engineered animal models of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) do not develop colitis under germ-free conditions, the intestinal microflora is thought to be one of the most important environmental factors associated with IBD. To understand the involvement of intestinal microflora in the pathogenesis of IBD, we analyzed the constituents of intestinal microflora in IBD. Faecal sam...

BACKGROUND The commensal intestinal microflora has important metabolic and perhaps also immune modulatory functions. Evidence has accumulated that the microflora plays a role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. Therefore, there is a growing interest in the intestinal microflora and its interaction with the host. Presumably, this interaction takes place at the mucus layer. In this...

Commensal bacteria possess immunostimulatory activities that can modulate host responses to affect development and homeostasis in the intestine. However, how different populations of resident bacteria stimulate the immune system remains largely unknown. We characterized here the ability of intestinal and oral microflora to stimulate individual pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) in bone marrow...

Directly after birth, bacteria commence to colonise the skin and the mucous membranes of the respiratory, urogenital and intestinal tract. With time, more or less complex bacterial ecosystems are established at various body surfaces, of which the normal intestinal microflora is the largest and most diverse. Thus, an adult individual harbours more than 400 bacterial species at this site. Most of...

Enteric microflora profiles vary considerably between active inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and healthy conditions. Intestinal microflora may partake in the pathogenesis of IBD by one or some ways: specific pathogenic infection induces abnormal intestinal mucosal inflammation; aberrant microflora components trigger the onset of IBD; abnormal host immune response loses normal immune tolerance...

Oral administration of antibiotics for treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs) can cause ecological disturbances in the normal intestinal microflora. Poorly absorbed drugs can reach the colon in active form, suppress susceptible microorganisms and disturb the ecological balance. Suppression of the normal microflora may lead to reduced colonization resistance with subsequent overgrowth of p...

The interface between a mammalian host organism and the microflora in its intestinal lumen is the mucous gel layer and the underlying cell coat, or glycocalyx, of glycoconjugates on the apical surface of the epithelium. Oligosaccharides within this interface can serve as receptors for the attachment of microorganisms. The first challenge to would-be luminal pathogens is successful attachment to...

Alterations in the bowel flora and its activities are now believed to be contributing factors to many chronic and degenerative diseases. Irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis have all been linked to alterations in the intestinal microflora. The intestinal dysbiosis hypothesis suggests a number of factors associated with modern Wes...