Probiotics and immunology: separating the wheat from the chaff

Probiotics are live bacteria exhibiting health-promoting activities. Recent research has demonstrated that probiotics can prevent pathogen colonization of the gut and reduce the incidence or relieve the symptoms of various diseases caused by dysregulated immune responses. Probiotics seem to function...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in immunology 2008-11, Vol.29 (11), p.565-573
Main Authors: Shida, Kan, Nanno, Masanobu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Allergies
Allergy and Immunology
Animals
Bacteria
Bowel disease
Colon
Diarrhea
Disease prevention
Ecosystems
Gram-positive bacteria
Humans
Hypersensitivity - immunology
Hypersensitivity - microbiology
Hypersensitivity - therapy
Immune system
Immune System - drug effects
Immune System - immunology
Infections
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - microbiology
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - therapy
Microorganisms
Probiotics
Probiotics - pharmacology
Probiotics - therapeutic use
Respiratory Tract Diseases - immunology
Respiratory Tract Diseases - microbiology
Respiratory Tract Diseases - prevention & control
Studies
T-Lymphocytes - immunology
Triticum aestivum
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Probiotics are live bacteria exhibiting health-promoting activities. Recent research has demonstrated that probiotics can prevent pathogen colonization of the gut and reduce the incidence or relieve the symptoms of various diseases caused by dysregulated immune responses. Probiotics seem to function by influencing both intestinal epithelial cells and immune cells of the gut, but the details of these effects are still being unraveled. Therefore, probiotics, through their effects on the host immune system, might ameliorate diseases triggered by disordered immune responses. Caveats remain and, because the beneficial effects of probiotics can vary between strains, the selection of the most suitable ones will be crucial for their use in the prevention or treatment of specific diseases.
ISSN:1471-4906
1471-4981
DOI:10.1016/j.it.2008.07.011