Validating bifidobacterial species and subspecies identity in commercial probiotic products.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The ingestion of probiotics to attempt to improve health is increasingly common; however, quality control of some commercial products can be limited. Clinical practice is shifting toward the routine use of probiotics to aid in prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis in premature infants, and probiotic administration to term infants is increasingly common to treat colic and/or prevent atopic disease. Since bifidobacteria dominate the feces of healthy breast-fed infants, they are often included in infant-targeted probiotics.

Methods

We evaluated 16 probiotic products to determine how well their label claims describe the species of detectable bifidobacteria in the product. Recently developed DNA-based methods were used as a primary means of identification, and were c

SUBMITTER: Lewis ZT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4916961 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature