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Backgrounds & Aims: Strains belonging to bifidobacteria have been documented as being helpful in adults with intestinal dysbiosis conditions, like those related to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This review aims to present the most relevant evidence regarding the efficacy of Bifidobacterium longum W11, a Bifidobacterium used in clinical settings for conditions such as IBS and inflammatory bowel disease., Methods: The following electronic databases were systematically searched up to August 2020: MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE, Cochrane Central Database of Controlled Trials (via CENTRAL), Google Scholar, and Clinicaltrials.gov., Results: Data arising from pooled analysis, 7 in vitro/pharmacological studies, 7 clinical trials including 1 randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled, showed that the probiotic strain B. longum W11 has been extensively studied for its efficacy in subjects with IBS with constipation, leading to a significant reduction in symptoms. In particular, its role in alleviating constipation was also confirmed in subjects for whom a low-calorie weight-loss diet led to the slowing down of gut motility. The probiotic characteristics of B. longum W11 were further demonstrated in the treatment of minimal hepatic encephalopathy and hepatic disease. The most remarkable trait of B. longum W11 is its non-transmissible antibiotic resistance, due to a nucleotide polymorphism mutation in the rpoB gene, making it resistant to antibiotics of the rifampicin group, including rifaximin. The co-administration of B. longum W11 and rifaximin in patients with symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease brought about a further significant improvement in the clinical condition compared to patients treated with rifaximin alone. B. longum W11 is a probiotic which could synergize with rifaximin as an adjuvant to antibiotic treatment., Conclusions: Taken altogether these findings demonstrate the clinical role of the strain W11 both in some functional and in some inflammatory bowel diseases., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Francesco di Pierro is employed by Velleja Research. Marco Pane is employed by Probiotical Research Srl (Novara, Italy)., (Copyright © 2021 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: In medical practice, the use of rifaximin and a probiotic is quite common in patients with a diagnosis of symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease (SUDD), with the latter being administered at the end of the rifaximin cycle. The opportunity of having a probiotic strain (Bifidobacterium longum W11) described as being resistant to rifaximin has prompted us to use it routinely in subjects with SUDD, administering it concomitantly with rifaximin., Methods: Retrospectively, we have analyzed whether our approach conferred a real clinical advantage to patients. The results seem to confirm the logic of our approach., Results: Patients treated with rifaximin concomitantly receiving strain W11 demonstrated better clinical outcomes than subjects treated with rifaximin followed by strain W11. Moreover, we have observed that the concomitant use of a rifaximin-resistant probiotic has improved the stool consistency of most patients. Finally, the adherence to the given therapy was very different, being very high in subjects undergoing concomitant use of the W11 strain and rifaximin, and being low in the other group. This is probably because of the different duration of therapy (7 days versus 14 days) and due to the fact that after 7 days of rifaximin treatment, patients felt better and decided not to proceed with the probiotic administration., Conclusions: Despite the many biases that our retrospective analysis presents, we believe that a probiotic strain demonstrating a strong non-transferable resistance to a particular antibiotic should be used along with that specific antibiotic, at least in cases of SUDD diagnosis.

Goals: The aim of the study was to unequivocally demonstrate the nontransmissibility of the genes mediating the resistance of the strain Bifidobacterium longum W11 (LMG P-21586) to rifaximin., Background: Most antibiotic treatments can induce unfavorable side effects such as antibiotic-associated diarrhea, which is largely attributable to the disruption of the intestinal microbiota. The parallel intake of probiotic bacteria might reduce these events, even if with generally very poor results. In this regard, the use of antibiotic-resistant beneficial bacteria could represent a worthy strategy., Study: Rifaximin was tested in parallel with rifampicin, rifapentine, and rifabutin, all rifamycin derivates, using 5 different concentrations. Susceptibility tests were performed by the disc diffusion method of Kirby-Bauer, and inhibition zones were measured after incubation at 37°C. B. longum BL03 was used as comparison. The B. longum W11 genome was sequenced on Illumina MiSeq with a 250 PE reads module. After mapping the reads with the reference bacterial genome, the alignment data were processed using FreeBayes software., Results: B. longum BL03 was inhibited by all antibiotics even at the lowest concentration. In contrast, the W11 strain was inhibited by rifampicin, rifabutin, and rifaximin only at the highest concentration (512 μg/mL). The genomic analysis showed a mutation into the chromosomal DNA. No transposable elements were found, and the genetic locus was not flanked by close mobile genetic elements., Conclusions: B. longum W11 could be used in combined therapy with rifaximin, thus opening new focused frontiers in the probiotic era while preserving the necessary safety of use for consumers.

Goals: To investigate the modulation of human cytokines by Bifidobacterium longum strains isolated from Centenarians. In particular, we measured the production of interleukin (IL)-12p70, interferon-γ, IL-17A, and IL-4 from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells after stimulation with live bacteria., Background: Probiotics may inhibit pathogens and modulate the immune system, bringing a beneficial effect on human health. Among the probiotic strains, bifidobacteria play a key role in the maturation of the host's immune system. At present, only a few comparative data are available on the effects of bifidobacteria associations on cytokine production., Study: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated, cultured, and stimulated (ratio 1:1) with B. longum DLBL07, B. longum DLBL08, B. longum DLBL09, B. longum DLBL10, or B. longum DLBL11, either alone or in association. Cytokine production was determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay., Results: Both the B. longum DLBL mixture and the individual B. longum DLBL strains induced similar levels of IL-4, interferon-γ, and IL-17A. Under all conditions tested, no IL-12p70 release was detected., Conclusions: The fact that B. longum strains were obtained from Centenarians suggests a perfect homeostasis between this specific species and the host. Moreover all the B. longum strains from Centenarians used in our study share some biological similarities.

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, a technology traditionally used in chemistry to determine the molecular composition of a wide range of sample types, has gained growing interest in microbial typing. It is based on the different vibrational modes of the covalent bonds between atoms of a given sample, as bacterial cells, induced by the absorption of infrared radiation. This technique has been largely used for the study of pathogenic species, especially in the clinical field, and has been proposed also for the typing at different subspecies levels. The high throughput, speed, low cost, and simplicity make FTIR spectroscopy an attractive technique also for industrial applications, in particular, for probiotics. The aim of this study was to compare FTIR spectroscopy with established genotyping methods, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), whole-genome sequencing (WGS), and multilocus sequence typing (MLST), in order to highlight the FTIR spectroscopy potential discriminatory power at strain level. Our study focused on bifidobacteria, an important group of intestinal commensals generally recognized as probiotics. For their properties in promoting and maintaining health, bifidobacteria are largely marketed by the pharmaceutical, food, and dairy industries. Strains belonging to Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis were taken into consideration together with some additional type strains. For B. longum subsp. longum , it was possible to discriminate the strains with all the methods used. Although two isolates were shown to be strictly phylogenetically related, constituting a unique cluster, based on PFGE, WGS, and MLST, no clustering was observed with FTIR. For B. animalis subsp. lactis group, PFGE, WGS, and MLST were non-discriminatory, and only one strain was easily distinguished. On the other hand, FTIR discriminated all the isolates one by one, and no clustering was observed. According to these results, FTIR analysis is not only equivalent to PFGE, WGS, and MLST, but also for some strains, in particular, for B. animalis subsp. lactis group, more informative, being able to differentiate strains not discernible with the other two methods based on phenotypic variations likely deriving from certain genetic changes. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy has highlighted the possibility of using the cell surface as a kind of barcode making tracing strains possible, representing an important aspect in probiotic applications. Furthermore, this work constitutes the first investigation on bifidobacterial strain typing using FTIR spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent demonstration that probiotics administration has positive effects on mood state in healthy populations suggests its possible role as an adjunctive therapy for depression in clinical populations and as a non-invasive strategy to prevent depressive mood state in healthy individuals. The present study extends current knowledge on the beneficial effects of probiotics on psychological well-being, as measured by changes in mood (e.g., cognitive reactivity to sad mood, depression, and anxiety), personality dimensions, and quality of sleep, which have been considered as related to mood. For this double-blind, placebo-controlled study 38 healthy volunteers assigned to an experimental or control group assumed a daily dose of a probiotic mixture (containing Lactobacillus fermentum LF16, L. rhamnosus LR06, L. plantarum LP01, and Bifidobacterium longum BL04) or placebo, respectively, for 6 weeks. Mood, personality dimensions, and sleep quality were assessed four times (before the beginning of the study, at 3 and 6 weeks, and at 3 weeks of washout). A significant improvement in mood was observed in the experimental group, with a reduction in depressive mood state, anger, and fatigue, and an improvement in sleep quality. No between-groups differences were found. These findings corroborate the positive effect of probiotics on mood state and suggest that probiotics administration may improve psychological well-being by ameliorating aspects of mood and sleep quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]