Professional Documents
Culture Documents
PHAGWARA
TERM PAPER
BIFIDOBACTERIUM
SUBMITTED BY:-
SHASHI SHARMA
M.Sc. (MICROBIOLOGY)
ROLL NO. RP8003B15
BIFIDOBACTERIUM
OBJECTIVE
OBSERVATIONS SO FAR:
Introduction
Morphology
Bifidobacteria are gram-positive pleomorphic rods, ranging from
uniform to branched, bifurcated Y and V forms, spatulate or club
shaped. They are strictly anaerobic (although some strains can
tolerate oxygen in the presence of carbon dioxide), non-motile
and non-spore-forming. The branching nature of bifidobacteria is
not only strain dependent but also depends on the medium used
for cultivation. Comparison of cell morphology of bifidobacterial
isolates grown on a standard medium can aid in identification
(29). Cell morphology alone, however, must be supplemented with
the results of biochemical tests to differentiate bifidobacteria from
morphologically similar genera (Lactobacillus,
Actinomyces,Propionibacterium, Eubacterium).
Complete Probiotics contains ten species of beneficial
bacteria and they include
Bifidobacterium lactis robs candida of its food supply because
it greatly shortens transient times of waste through the colon.
Lactobacillus acidophilus breaks down nutrients during
digestion and assists in the production of folic acid, niacin, and
seperates amino acids from bile acids which can be used again by
the body. This breakdown process produces hydrogen peroxide
that makes the intestinal and vaginal environment unsuitable for
unfriendly organisms such as bad bacteria and yeast.
The U. of Nebraska found L. acidophulis reduced the incidence of
E. coli by 61% when it was added to cattle feed and fed to the
cows. The U. of Oklahoma found L. acidophulis helped in
reducing serum cholesterol levels. The U. of Kentucky confirmed
a 10 to 12% reduction in risk of heart disease in individuals with
high cholesterol levels.
Lactobacillus acidophilus makes up 20% of the intestinal bacteria
and is the most prevalant species in the vagina. In both
environments it produces hydrogen peroxides that kill harmful
pathogens and candida yeasts while raising the ph, which further
controls harmful pathogens.
Bifidobacterium longum is resistant to antibiotics. It has been
found to reduce serum cholesterol and raise macrophage levels.
Macrophages are a natural killer cell that cleans up waste in the
body along with fighting candida yeast. It inhibits and fights bad
bacteria and can colonize the colon.
Bifidobacterium bifidum has been found to stimulate
macrophages and activate lymphocytes to produce antibodies
against foreign pathogens. It also increases the production and
function of t-cells and natural killer cells which suggests it has
antitumor and antifungal abilities. In tests on mice it was found to
induce apoptosis to colorectal cancer tumors and to prevent them
from spreading.
Lactobacillus casei is a lactic acid producer that helps L.
acidophilus to grow. It has been found to inhibit the growth of h.
pylori and may be effective at preventing other bacterial intestinal
diseases.
Lactobacillus plantarum has been found to clear up to 95% of
the symptoms associated with IBS if high enough doses are taken.
It boosts immune function in the intestine and helps with high
cholesterol and heart disease.
Lactobacillus salivarius promotes your intestinal health and
helps support your oral health as well. It is sometimes used in
gums to help prevent tooth deacay from bad bacteria.
Lactobacillus rhamnosus supports the activity of t-cells and
lymphocytes, which are natural killer cells in the immune system.
It is found primarily in the small intestine and stomach and
smaller amounts are found in the large intestine. In the large
intestine its creates a favorable environment for Bifidobacterium
to attach and proliferate.
It is a very strong species and can survive where most other
bacterial species cannot. It has been shown to have antitumor
activity and prevents food allergies from leaky gut syndrome. It
also inhibits the growth of bad bacterial species.
Lactobacillus bulgarious works with other Lactobacillus strains
to provide you a potential source of dietary antioxidants.
Lactobacillus sporogenes helps enhance your intestinal health
and provides back-up for sporadic intestinal discomfort. This is
also a spore forming bacteria that is supposed to repopulate the
intestinal tract. Another claim to fame is that it definitely survives
the journey through the stomach intact.
Health benefits
It is worth noting that many scientific studies are funded by
companies that produce products which contain the substance
being studied, which can lead to doubts about the impartiality of
these studies.[5] The bodies that have funded the research below
are not listed.
Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis, strain BB-12:
Effects of Bifidobacterium animalis Bb12 Supplementation
on Intestinal Microbiota of Preterm Infants: a Double-Blind,
Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Study. J Clin Microbiol.
2006 November.
Adherence of Probiotic Bacteria to Human Intestinal Mucus
in Healthy Infants and during Rotavirus Infection. Clin Diagn
Lab Immunol..
Innate mechanisms for Bifidobacterium lactis to activate
transient pro-inflammatory host responses in intestinal
epithelial cells after the colonization of germ-free rats.
Immunology. 2005 August.
Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. animalis, strain DN-173 010:
A fermented milk with Bifidobacterium probiotic strain DN-
173 010 shortened oro-fecal gut transit time in elderly. Microb
Ecology Health Dis.
Bifidobacterium animalis, strain DN-173 010 shortens the
colonic transit time in healthy women. A double-blind
randomised controlled study. Aliment Pharmacol Ther.
Bouvier M, et al. “Effects of consumption of a milk
fermented by the probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis DN-173
010 on colonic transit time in healthy humans. Bioscience and
Microflora.
Trade names.
Several companies have attempted to trademark particular strains
and as a marketing technique, have invented scientific sounding
names for the strains. Danone (Dannon) have claimed trademark
status on the subspecies strain DN 173 010 and markets the
organism as Bifidus Digestivum (UK), Bifidus Regularis (US and
Mexico), Bifidobacterium Lactis or B.L. Regularis (Canada),
DanRegularis (Brazil), Bifidus Actiregularis (Argentina, Austria,
Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan,
Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain and the UK), and
Bifidus Essensis in the Middle East (and formerly in Hungary)
through Activia from Safi Danone KSA. Scientifically, the correct
strain is identified as Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. animalis,
strain DN-173 010.
Chr. Hansen A/S from Denmark has a similar claim on a strain
of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis, marketed under the
trademark BB-12. It is marketed both as Bifidobacterium
animalis and Bifidobacterium lactis, however, the true scientific
name of the strain Is Bifidobacterium animalis subsp lactis.
Marked changes have occurred in bacterial classification since
the application of molecular technologies to this task. The
impetus for major change has resulted from the observation that
16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences can be used as
evolutionary chronometers (40). Some regions of the 16S rRNA
molecule are conserved throughout all bacterial species and can
be used to align sequences obtained from different isolates.
Alignment of these conserved regions permits comparison of the
remaining regions which are variable as to nucleotide base
sequence between many species . From a practical point of view,
the 16S rRNA gene sequences (rDNA) can be used in the reliable
identification of many bacterial species through the derivation of
specific oligonucleotide probes or polymerase chain reaction
(PCR) based techniques . Other regions of the genome also offer
opportunities as targets for identification procedures (10). These
molecular approaches allow Lactobacillus species to be reliably
identified, but much developmental work remains to be
accomplished in the case of the bifidobacteria.
Future strategies.
The functional food concept has, in recent years, moved
progressively towards the development of dietary supplementation
that may affect gut microbial composition and activities. The
rationale behind this derives from a realisation that the human
colon contains pathogenic, benign and possibly health promoting
species. This microbiota functions in such a manner that the colon
is the most metabolically active organ in the body—having a very
significant nutritional role. Dietary supplementation is a feasible
route by which the large gut microbiota composition and activities
can be modulated. Probiotics are live microbial food additions that
have been in use for some time and are available in many food
products, primarily fermented milks. Bacteria which produce
lactic acid, that are perceived to exert beneficial properties such as
improved lactose digestion and resistance to pathogens, are
common probiotics. Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients
(e.g. oligosaccharides) that have a selective fermentation in the
colon. Fructose oligosaccharides are able to modify the gut flora
composition in favour of bifidobacteria. Prebiotics have been
hitherto used for genus level changes and do not suffer the
survivability difficulties that may arise with probiotics. Other
strategies may exploit both technologies together (as synbiotics).
Future perspectives that allow a more full description of the gut
biodiversity and accurately monitor changes in response to diet,
will help determine the role of probiotics, prebiotics and
synbiotics in health promotion.
References
1. Bifidobacterium
2. Masco, Liesbeth; Marco Ventura, Ralf Zink, Geert
Huys1 and Jean Swings (July 2004). "Polyphasic taxonomic
analysis of Bifidobacterium animalis and Bifidobacterium
lactis reveals relatedness at the subspecies level:
reclassification ofBifidobacterium
animalis as Bifidobacterium animalis subsp.
animalis subsp. nov. and Bifidobacterium
lactis as Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis subsp.
nov.". Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 54
3. Rapid Identification, Differentiation, and Proposed
New Taxonomic Classification of Bifidobacterium lactis.
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2002 December; 68(12): 6429–
6434.