A synbiotic mixture of selected oligosaccharides and bifidobacteria assists murine gut microbiota restoration following antibiotic challenge.

Background: Typically, animal models studying gastrointestinal microbiotas compromised in early life have employed either germ-free animals or mice treated with a cocktail of antibiotics. Such studies intend to mimic scenarios of infants born by caesarean section and/or subjected to antibiotic treatment. However, the antibiotics used in these studies are rarely prescribed to infants.

Quantitative Physiology and Proteome Adaptations of Bifidobacterium breve NRBB57 at Near-Zero Growth Rates.

In natural environments, nutrients are usually scarce, causing microorganisms to grow slowly while staying metabolically active. These natural conditions can be simulated using retentostat cultivations. The present study describes the physiological and proteome adaptations of the probiotic Bifidobacterium breve NRBB57 from high (0.

PS2 Supplementation during Pregnancy and Lactation Prevents Mastitis: A Randomised Controlled Trial.

Mastitis is considered one of the main reasons for unwanted breastfeeding cessation. This study aimed to investigate the preventive effect of the probiotic strain PS2 on the occurrence of mastitis in lactating women. In this multicountry, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 328 women were assigned to the probiotic or the placebo group.

Broad Purpose Vector for Site-Directed Insertional Mutagenesis in .

Members of the genus are notoriously recalcitrant to genetic manipulation due to their extensive and variable repertoire of Restriction-Modification (R-M) systems. Non-replicating plasmids are currently employed to achieve insertional mutagenesis in . One of the limitations of using such insertion vectors is the presence within their sequence of various restriction sites, making them sensitive to the activity of endogenous restriction endonucleases encoded by the target strain.

Strain-Specific Probiotic Properties of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli for the Prevention of Diarrhea Caused by Rotavirus in a Preclinical Model.

Probiotic supplementation with different lactobacilli and bifidobacterial strains has demonstrated beneficial effects in infectious diarrhea caused by rotavirus (RV) in young children. Preclinical models of RV infection might be a good strategy to screen for the efficacy of new probiotic strains or to test their comparative efficacy. Neonatal Lewis rats were supplemented with M-16V, NCFM, , or PS2 from days 2-14 of life.

Effect of Synbiotic on the Gut Microbiota of Cesarean Delivered Infants: A Randomized, Double-blind, Multicenter Study.

We determined the effect of short-chain galacto-oligosaccharides (scGOS), long-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (lcFOS) and Bifidobacterium breve M-16V on the gut microbiota of cesarean-born infants. Infants were randomized to receive a standard formula (control), the same with scGOS/lcFOS and B. breve M-16V (synbiotic), or with scGOS/lcFOS (prebiotic) from birth until week 16, 30 subjects born vaginally were included as a reference group.

Early-Life Events, Including Mode of Delivery and Type of Feeding, Siblings and Gender, Shape the Developing Gut Microbiota.

Colonization of the infant gut is believed to be critically important for a healthy growth as it influences gut maturation, metabolic, immune and brain development in early life. Understanding factors that influence this process is important, since an altered colonization has been associated with a higher risk of diseases later in life. Fecal samples were collected from 108 healthy neonates in the first half year of life.

Mother-to-infant transmission of intestinal bifidobacterial strains has an impact on the early development of vaginally delivered infant's microbiota.

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.

Intestinal microbiology in early life: specific prebiotics can have similar functionalities as human-milk oligosaccharides.

Human milk is generally accepted as the best nutrition for newborns and has been shown to support the optimal growth and development of infants. On the basis of scientific insights from human-milk research, a specific mixture of nondigestible oligosaccharides has been developed, with the aim to improve the intestinal microbiota in early life. The mixture has been extensively studied and has been shown to be safe and to have potential health benefits that are similar to those of human milk.

Relevance of pre- and postnatal nutrition to development and interplay between the microbiota and metabolic and immune systems.

Early-life programming is becoming an established concept that states that the environment during early development affects health and disease in adulthood, probably via epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, RNA silencing, or a combination. Accumulating evidence suggests that nutrition during pregnancy and early postnatal life is one of the most important environmental cues that programs microbiological, metabolic, and immunologic development. The neonatal period is crucial for the early microbial colonization of the almost sterile gastrointestinal tract of the newborn infant.

The early settlers: intestinal microbiology in early life.

The human intestinal microbiota forms an integral part of normal human physiology, and disturbances of the normal gut microbiology have been implicated in many health and disease issues. Because newborns are essentially sterile, their microbiota must establish and develop from the very first days of life. The first colonizers play an important role in the development of the ecosystem and may impact the long-term composition and activity of the microbiota.

The fecal bifidobacterial transcriptome of adults: a microarray approach.

Bifidobacteria are a predominant group present among adult human intestinal microbiota and are considered to be beneficial to host health. Both the dynamics and functional activity of bifidobacteria from the intestinal tract of four adults, following ingestion of a mix consisting of short chain galactooligosaccharides, long chain fructooligosaccharides and acidic oligosaccharides from pectin hydrolysate (GFP), was investigated. The percentage of total bifidobacteria, monitored by quantitative real time PCR, was not significantly altered but marked species-specific changes occurred in all individuals over time, indicating a dynamic bifidobacterial community.

Transmission of intestinal Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum strains from mother to infant, determined by multilocus sequencing typing and amplified fragment length polymorphism.

The gastrointestinal tracts of neonates are colonized by bacteria immediately after birth. It has been discussed that the intestinal microbiota of neonates includes strains transferred from the mothers. Although some studies have indicated possible bacterial transfer from the mother to the newborn, this is the first report confirming the transfer of bifidobacteria at the strain level.

Bifidobacterium population analysis in the infant gut by direct mapping of genomic hybridization patterns: potential for monitoring temporal development and effects of dietary regimens.

A bifidobacterial mixed-species microarray platform was used in a proof-of-principle study to address the composition and development of bifidobacteria in DNA extracted from faecal samples. These were collected in a time-course of 2 years since birth and derived from human infants that were breastfed, standard formula-fed or received a prebiotic formula during their weaning period. A set of over 50 samples was analysed, testifying for the throughput of the designed platform for multiple genome hybridizations.

Molecular analysis of faecal and duodenal samples reveals significantly higher prevalence and numbers of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in irritable bowel syndrome.

Intestinal microbiota may play a role in the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In this case-control study, mucosa-associated small intestinal and faecal microbiota of IBS patients and healthy subjects were analysed using molecular-based methods. Duodenal mucosal brush and faecal samples were collected from 37 IBS patients and 20 healthy subjects.

Effect of multifibre mixture with prebiotic components on bifidobacteria and stool pH in tube-fed children.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of a paediatric tube feed supplemented with a multifibre mixture on the gut microbiota and nutritional and micronutrient status of children on long-term enteral nutrition (EN). A randomised, controlled, double-blind, cross-over trial (2 × 3 months) with a washout period of 1 month was carried out. Twenty-seven children (80% neurologically impaired) aged 11.

Lower Bifidobacteria counts in both duodenal mucosa-associated and fecal microbiota in irritable bowel syndrome patients.

Aim: To determine the composition of both fecal and duodenal mucosa-associated microbiota in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients and healthy subjects using molecular-based techniques.

Methods: Fecal and duodenal mucosa brush samples were obtained from 41 IBS patients and 26 healthy subjects. Fecal samples were analyzed for the composition of the total microbiota using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and both fecal and duodenal brush samples were analyzed for the composition of bifidobacteria using real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Early impairment of gut function and gut flora supporting a role for alteration of gastrointestinal mucosa in human immunodeficiency virus pathogenesis.

Our results show that impairment of the gastrointestinal tracts in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients is present in the early phases of HIV disease. This impairment is associated with alterations in gut microbiota and intestinal inflammatory parameters. These findings support the hypothesis that alterations at the gastrointestinal-tract level are a key factor in HIV pathogenesis.

The Mucin degrader Akkermansia muciniphila is an abundant resident of the human intestinal tract.

A 16S rRNA-targeted probe, MUC-1437, was designed and validated in order to determine the presence and numbers of cells of Akkermansia muciniphila, a mucin degrader, in the human intestinal tract. As determined by fluorescent in situ hybridization, A. muciniphila accounted more than 1% of the total fecal cells and was shown to be a common bacterial component of the human intestinal tract.

Advanced molecular tools for the identification of lactic acid bacteria.

Recent years have seen an explosion in the development and application of molecular tools for identifying microbes and analyzing their activity. These tools are increasingly applied to strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), including those used in fermentation and as well as those marketed as probiotics, for identification and analysis of their activity. Many of these tools are based on 16S ribosomal DNA sequences and exploit either hybridization or PCR techniques.

Diversity, vitality and activities of intestinal lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria assessed by molecular approaches.

While lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria have been scientifically important for over a century, many of these are marketed today as probiotics and have become a valuable and rapidly expanding sector of the food market that is leading functional foods in many countries. The human gastro-intestinal tract with its various compartments and complex microbiota is the primary target of most of these functional foods containing lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria (LAB&B). In addition, their use as vectors for delivery of molecules with therapeutic value to the host via the intestinal tract is being studied.

Genetic diversity of viable, injured, and dead fecal bacteria assessed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and 16S rRNA gene analysis.

A novel approach combining a flow cytometric in situ viability assay with 16S rRNA gene analysis was used to study the relationship between diversity and activity of the fecal microbiota. Simultaneous staining with propidium iodide (PI) and SYTO BC provided clear discrimination between intact cells (49%), injured or damaged cells (19%), and dead cells (32%). The three subpopulations were sorted and characterized by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of 16S rRNA gene amplicons obtained from the total and bifidobacterial communities.

Multiparametric flow cytometry and cell sorting for the assessment of viable, injured, and dead bifidobacterium cells during bile salt stress.

Using a flow cytometry-based approach, we assessed the viability of Bifidobacterium lactis DSM 10140 and Bifidobacterium adolescentis DSM 20083 during exposure to bile salt stress. Carboxyfluorescein diacetate (cFDA), propidium iodide (PI), and oxonol [DiBAC4(3)] were used to monitor esterase activity, membrane integrity, and membrane potential, respectively, as indicators of bacterial viability. Single staining with these probes rapidly and noticeably reflected the behavior of the two strains during stress exposure.

The intestinal LABs.

The complete gastrointestinal (GI) tract of humans is colonised soon after birth by a myriad of microbial species with a characteristic distribution depending on the location. GI-tract ecology has been experiencing a revival due to the development of molecular techniques, especially those based on 16S RNA (zRNA) genes. A richer ecosystem than previously imagined of novel species is being discovered that is significantly influenced by our host genotype.

Quantification of uncultured Ruminococcus obeum-like bacteria in human fecal samples by fluorescent in situ hybridization and flow cytometry using 16S rRNA-targeted probes.

A 16S rRNA-targeted probe was designed and validated in order to quantify the number of uncultured Ruminococcus obeum-like bacteria by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). These bacteria have frequently been found in 16S ribosomal DNA clone libraries prepared from bacterial communities in the human intestine. Thirty-two reference strains from the human intestine, including a phylogenetically related strain and strains of some other Ruminococcus species, were used as negative controls and did not hybridize with the new probe.