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Table 7 Details of studies performed to examine the effects of probiotic intervention on intestinal microbiota composition of healthy subjects determined with culture-independent methods

From: Intestinal microbiota in human health and disease: the impact of probiotics

Population

Study groups (based on treatment)

Study material

Analytical methods

Key findings

References

Animals

Healthy rats (n = 30)

Probiotic: B. lactis Bl and S. thermophilus

Prebiotic: FOS

Placebo: only carrier material

Caecum (tissue and contents)

Conventional culturing

DGGE

Both prebiotic and probiotic group:

 ↓ Clostridia

 ↓ Bacteroides

 ↓ total anaerobes

Prebiotic-treated group:

 ↓ coliforms

 ↑ Bifidobacterium

Probiotic-treated group:

 ↑ diversity

 ↑ coliforms

Montesi et al. (2005)

Healthy mice (n = 16)

Probiotic: L. casei

Probiotic: L. plantarum

Probiotic: mixture of L. casei and L. plantarum

Control: no treatment

Faeces

Intestinal tissue

DGGE

T-RFLP

Clone-library sequencing

Mixture-treated group:

 No significant effect on dominant microbiota composition

 Shifts in the diversity of Lactobacillus species

Fuentes et al. (2008)

Healthy fish (red tilapia) (n = 12)

Probiotic: diet containing Pediococcus acidilactici

Placebo: normal diet

Intestinal contents

Conventional culturing

DGGE

Probiotic-treated group:

 ↓ Species richness and diversity

 Transiently colonization by P. acidilactici

Ferguson et al. (2010)

Humans

Healthy adults (n = 10)

Probiotic: milk powder containing L. rhamnosus DR20

Faeces

Conventional culturing

FISH

DGGE

Probiotic-treated group:

 No significant effect on dominant microbiota composition

Tannock et al. (2000)

Healthy adults (n = 30)

Probiotic: B. animalis subsp. lactis Bb-12

Prebiotic: GOS

Synbiotic: GOS and B. animalis subsp. lactis Bb-12

Faeces

DGGE

All groups:

 No qualitative changes in faecal Bifidobacterium communities

Probiotic/synbiotic-treated groups:

 Transiently colonization by B. animalis subsp. lactis Bb-12

Satokari et al. (2001)

Healthy children (n = 26)

Probiotic: Yoghurt containing L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus and L. paracasei A

Placebo: pasteurised yoghurt

Faeces

Conventional culturing

RAPD-PCR

DGGE

Probiotic-treated group:

 No significant effect on dominant microbiota composition

 GI survival and transiently colonization by L. paracasei A

Marzotto et al. (2006)

Preterm infants (n = 69)

Probiotic: B. animalis subsp. lactis Bb-12

Placebo: only carrier material

Faeces

Conventional culturing

FISH

Probiotic-treated group:

 ↑ Bifidobacterium

Mohan et al. (2006)

Healthy adults (n = 12)

Probiotic: yoghurt containing L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus and B. animalis DN-173 010

Probiotic: B. animalis DN-173 010 (lyophilised)

Faeces

Conventional culturing

Colony immunoblotting

DGGE

FISH

Both probiotic-treated groups:

 No significant effect on dominant microbiota composition

 GI survival and transiently colonization by B. animalis

Rochet et al. (2008)

Healthy adults (n = 30)

Prebiotic: lactulose

Probiotic: S. boulardii

Synbiotic: lactulose and S. boulardii

Placebo: maltodextrin

Faeces

DGGE

Group-specific qPCR

Prebiotic-treated group:

 ↑ B. adolescentis

 ↑ Bifidobacterium

Probiotic/synbiotic-treated group:

 No changes

Vanhoutte et al. (2006)

Healthy elderly (n = 55)

Probiotic: fermented oat drink containing B. longum 46 and B. longum 2C

Probiotic: fermented oat drink containing B. animalis subsp. lactis Bb-12

Placebo: only fermented oat drink

Faeces

Species-specific qPCR

Probiotic-treated group (B. longum):

 ↑ B. adolescentis

 ↑ B. catenulatum

Probiotic-treated group (B. animalis):

 ↑ B. animalis

Ouwehand et al. (2008)

Healthy adults (n = 14)

Probiotic: encapsulated L. rhamnosus R11 and L. acidophilus R52

Faeces

Conventional culturing

qPCR

No significant effect on dominant microbiota composition

GI survival and transiently colonization by L. rhamnosus

Firmesse et al. (2008)

Healthy adults (n = 79)

Probiotic: yoghurt containing L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus

Placebo: pasteurised yoghurt

Control: no yoghurt

Faeces

DGGE

qPCR

Probiotic-treated group:

 ↑ lactic acid bacteria

 ↑ C. perfringens

Yoghurt-receiving groups:

 ↓ Bacteroides group

García-Albiach et al. (2008)

Healthy adults on antibiotic treatment (n = 40)

Probiotic: B. animalis subsp. lactis Bl-04, B. animalis subsp. lactis Bi-07, L. acidophilus NCFM, L. paracasei Lpc-37, B. bifidum Bb-02 and maltodextran

Placebo: only maltodextran

Faeces

Conventional culturing

T-RFLP

Probiotic-treated group:

 A more rapid return to pre-antibiotic microbiota composition

 ↑ Enterobacteriaceae

 ↑ Bifidobacterium

Engelbrektson et al. (2009)

Healthy elderly (n = 66)

Probiotic: fermented oat drink containing B. longum 46 and B. longum 2C

Placebo: non-fermented oat drink

Faeces

Conventional culturing

Species-specific qPCR

Probiotic-treated group:

Significant change in Bifidobacterium communities (↑ B. catenulatum, B. bifidum and B. breve)

Lahtinen et al. (2009)

  1. DGGE denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, FISH fluorescence in situ hybridisation, qPCR quantitative polymerase chain reaction, RAPD-PCR random amplification of polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction, T-RFLP terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism