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Upper respiratory infections (URI) are the most frequent illnesses, especially in children. The majority of those infections are prescribed broad-spectrum antibiotics, which are associated with various side effects and with the increase in multi-drug-resistant strains. A promising alternative approach is the administration of the probiotic strain Streptococcus salivarius K12 (SSK12) that colonizes the upper respiratory tract (URT) and produces the salivaricins A2 and B, which strongly antagonize the growth of key respiratory pathogens. However, since for food supplements no quality controls of the active probiotic ingredient are mandatory, the efficacy of commercial products containing SSK12 may vary. This study aimed to investigate the in vitro efficacy of several commercial SSK12-containing probiotics, positioned for the prevention of respiratory infections. The parameters evaluated to determine the in vitro efficacy included the viability of the probiotic bacterial strain and the minimum inhibitory dilution (MID) of the probiotic, determined by the agar spot method, against the pathogenic/potential pathogenic bacterial strains Streptococcus pyogenes FF22 and Micrococcus luteus T18. All tests were carried out both 12 and 24 months after manufacturing (AM) for each commercial product. The viability ranged from 9 × 108 to 4.4 × 109 CFU/serving at 12 months AM and from 8.5 × 107 to 2.8 × 109 CFU/serving at 24 months AM. The MID was, in general, positively correlated with the probiotic bacterium viability and varied between the commercial products, ranging from 10−5 to 10−7 at 12 months AM and from 10−4 to 10−7 at 24 months AM. Moreover, the inhibition zones related to the two indicator strains were variable in diameter for different products. The high variation of the in vitro efficacy of commercial products containing SSK12 may explain the different results reported in the literature regarding the clinical benefits of these preparations, and the determination of this parameter may be useful to evaluate the quality of probiotic products containing this bacterial strain.

The intestinal microflora is an extensive ecosystem of microorganisms that consists of symbiotic and pathogenic species. The microflora is responsible for many important functions in the human body. An unquestionable function is that it affects the health state of the host. The higher the biodiversity, the greater the benefit for the host. However, it is necessary to point out that this should not include a high diversity of pathogenic bacterial species. There are many "beneficial" species, especially from the Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus families. In recent decades, the popularity of supplementing these "beneficial" species with various supplementary diets (e.g. probiotics) has been growing a lot. The presented diploma thesis deals with pilot studies of liquid commercial probiotic preparations from American companies Ascended Health (not available on the Czech market) and their effects on the human microbiome. The study involved 9 volunteers who provided 70 fecal samples before, during, and after use of the studied products. Two methods were used to determine the biodiversity of intestinal bacterial species. Both are based on the identification by bacterial DNA that encodes gene 16S rRNA. The first method uses PCR-DGGE technique and then identification by Sanger sequencing. The second method...

Disease is a significant constraint faced by aquaculture, and its prevention and control bring together a hub of recent research. Several resources and resorts have been applied to prevent diseases in aquaculture. Probiotics are known to be beneficial natural derivatives that have several benefits in aquaculture. Currently, several commercial probiotics are used in the aquaculture industry that contains one or more live microorganisms. In the aquaculture industry, Bacillus species is one of the most widely used probiotic organisms. They are considered distinctive and are found to be natural members of the gut microbiota of some fish species. The safety of beneficial microorganisms is essential since some of these organisms are reported to harbor traits that might be transferable to their hosts. In this study, the safety of some Bacillus-based commercial probiotics used in aquaculture in terms of virulence and drug resistance were assessed. Commercial Bacillus species after isolation were screened for the presence of virulence genes (nheA, nheB, nheC, hblA, hblC, hblD, cytK, and entFM) and one emetic gene (ces), as well as their resistance to some antibiotics. Most isolates did not possess any of the virulence genes assessed. Nonetheless, three isolates harbored the nheABC and entFM enterotoxin genes, while two had the hblA, hblC, hblD, cytK genes. None of the isolates possessed the ces emetic gene. Antibiotic resistance assessment revealed most of the isolates to be resistant to β-lactam antibiotics, including penicillin, ampicillin, oxacillin, cefuroxime, and ceftriaxone, and also to minocycline.

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah (1) mempelajari pengaruh probiotik komersial yang berbeda terhadap berat telur, persentase albumin dan persentase kuning telur ayam petelur persilangan antara pejantan Lohman dan betina ayam kampung, (2) menentukan probiotik komersial yang dapat memberikan pengaruh terbaik pada berat telur, persentase albumin dan persentase kuning telur ayam petelur persilangan. Penelitian ini dilakukan pada Januari-Februari 2019, pemeliharaan dilakukan di Laboratorium Lapangan Terpadu Fakultas Pertanian Universitas Lampung dan pengumpulan data dilakukan di Laboratorium Produksi dan Reproduksi Ternak Jurusan Peternakan Fakultas Pertanian Universitas Lampung. Penelitian ini menggunakan Rancangan Acak Lengkap (RAL) yang terdiri dari 4 perlakuan dan 7 ulangan berupa suplementasi pada air minum (P0: tanpa probiotik, P1: suplementasi probiotik A, P2: suplementasi probiotik B, P3: suplementasi probiotik C). Penelitian ini menggunakan 28 butir telur dari 28 ekor ayam kampung persilangan umur 64 minggu dan masing-masing unit perlakuan menggunakan satu butir telur. Hasil studi ini menunjukkan bahwa suplementasi probiotik komersial yang berbeda tidak memiliki efek signifikan (P>0,05) pada berat telur, persentase albumen, dan persentase kuning telur. Simpulan penelitian ini bahwa suplementasi probiotik komersil melalui air minum tidak berpengaruh nyata terhadap bobot telur, persentase albumin dan persentase yolk telur ayam hasil persilangan (grading up) namun pemberian probiotik B menghasilkan bobot telur dan persentase yolk telur ayam hasil persilangan (grading up) lebih besar dibandingkan perlakuan lainnya. Kata kunci: Albumin, Ayam Persilangan, Bobot Telur, Kuning Telur, Probiotik komersial.

Thesis (Master)--Izmir Institute of Technology, Biotechnology, Izmir, 2016, Includes bibliographical references (leaves: 57-64), Text in English; Abstract: Turkish and English, xiii, 71 leaves, Quantitative Real-Time PCR (qPCR) assays targeting the 16S rDNA was developed as a genus and species specific detection tool for Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 and Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5, respectively. Standard curves were established to quantify these probiotic bacteria. The linear regression of standard curves indicated high correlations between the log numbers of pure probiotic culture cells and the Ct values. The assay had a high efficiency and the limit of detection was estimated to be 1.54 ng DNA (corresponding to 104 cells). Results show that qPCR method may be very useful as a rapid, sensitive and specific tool for detecting and quantifying B. animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 and L. acidophilus LA-5 in probiotic supplements. FTIR spectroscopy was used for the first time to determine the ratios of different microorganisms in commercial probiotic supplements. FTIR analysis was also performed for the pure probiotic cultures of B. animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 and L. acidophilus LA-5. Results obtained in this study showed that FTIR spectroscopy is potentially a rapid method for determining probiotic cell components and their ratios in the supplements and verification their detection and identification., 16S rDNA’yı hedefleyen Kantitatif Real-Time PCR (qPCR) analizleri sırasıyla Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus ve Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12, Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 cins ve tür spesifik saptama aracı olarak geliştirilmiştir. Standart eğriler bu probiyotik bakterilerin sayısını ölçmek için oluşturuldu. Standart eğrilerin lineer regresyonu probiyotik kültür hücrelerinin log sayılarıyla Ct değerleri arasında yüksek korelasyon göstermektedir. Analiz yüksek verimlidir ve saptama limiti 1,54 ng DNA (104 hücreye karşılık gelen DNA miktarı) olarak tahmin edilmiştir. Sonuçlar qPCR yönteminin B. animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 ve L. acidophilus LA-5 probiyotik takviyelerinin saptanması ve miktarının belirlenmesi için hızlı, duyarlı ve spesifik bir araç olarak çok yararlı olabileceğini göstermektedir. FTIR spektroskopisi ticari probiyotik ürünlerdeki farklı mikroorganizmaların oranlarını belirlemek için ilk defa kullanılmıştır. FTIR analizi ayrıca B. animalis subsp lactis BB-12 ve L acidophilus LA-5 saf probiyotik kültürler için yapılmıştır. Bu çalışmada elde edilen sonuçlar, FTIR spektroskopisinin probiyotiklerin hücre bileşenleri ve bu bileşenlerin oranlarının belirlenmesinde ve ayrıca saptanması ve tanımlamasında hızlı bir yöntem olarak potansiyeli olduğunu göstermiştir.