Review article

Probiotics: scientific fact or fancy?

Jagoda Šušković orcid.org/0000-0003-1711-316X ; Prehrambeno-biotehnološki fakultet, Pierottijeva 6, 10000 Zagreb
Blaženka Kos
Srećko Matošić

Abstract

At the beginning of this century, famous scientists Pasteur and Metchnikoff on basis of scientific investigations suggested beneficial effects of microorganisms, especially of lactic acid bacteria on human health. However, in last thirty years, the connection between intestinal microflora composition and health of people are researching, again. This was due to two factors: l)the discovery of antibiotic growth promotion of animals, which stimulated research into its mode action and consequently gave rise to attempts to define the composition of the gut microflora and 2) the improved techniques for rearing germ-free animals. One the most convincing demonstrations of the role of the gut microflora in resistance to disease was provided by Carter and Collins in 1978. They showed that the germ-free guinea-pig was killed by 10 cells of Salmonella enteritidis but it required 109 cells to kill a conventional animal with a complete gut microflora. These and another scientific conceptions have been base and impulse for scientific researches in finding out of ideal probiotic microorganism which will be able to restore the intestinal microbial balance disrupted by antibiotic therapy, stress or any other diseases. However, at a time of alarming concern over antibiotic resistance and the expectation our defenses will not be able to cope with the lethal pathogens that are on our doorstep, surely it is time to truly embrace alternatives such as probiotics. Consequently, probiotics as scientific fact are not fancy but become our reality and necessity.

Keywords

probiotics; scientific facts

Hrčak ID:

94838

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/94838

Publication date:

7.8.1998.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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