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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological and developmental condition that begins in infancy or earlier and lasts through the individual's lifetime. The aetiology and mechanisms of ASD are not yet fully understood, and current treatment comprises mainly education and rehabilitation, without significant improvement in the core symptoms. Recent studies suggest that microbiota change in children with ASD after the ingestion of probiotics may improve the balance of microbiota and thus ASD symptoms. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the efficacy of probiotics on the symptoms of children with ASD and the possible mechanisms involved. This is a prospective controlled trial. A total of 160 children with ASD will be stratified and allocated to placebo and probiotics groups randomised according to the severity of their ASD symptoms. The probiotics group will be given probiotics supplements orally twice a day for 3 months and the control group will be given a placebo at the same amount, in addition to the baseline therapy of education and rehabilitation. All the children will be evaluated systematically by using different scales, questionnaires before, during, and after 3 months' treatment, as well as 3 months after discontinuation. The potential impact of probiotics on immunity and inflammation, metabolism, and metagenome will also be investigated. Our previous study showed that the abundance of intestinal flora was greatly different in children with ASD, and that Bifidobacterium was associated with the severity of ASD. In the present study, we will investigate the impact of probiotics supplementation on the symptoms of Children with ASD, with the purpose of evaluating the possible therapeutic effects of additives on ASD and of providing a reference for clinical treatment. The results will help to disclose as yet unknown relationship between probiotics and ASD. This study has been registered with Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR-2000037941).

Accumulating evidence indicates that the gut microbiota communicates with the central nervous system, possibly through neural, endocrine, and immune pathways, and influences brain function. B. longum 1714™ has previously been shown to attenuate cortisol output and stress responses in healthy subjects exposed to an acute stressor. However, the ability of B. longum 1714™ to modulate brain function in humans is unclear. In a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, the effects of B. longum 1714™ on neural responses to social stress, induced by the \"Cyberball game,\" a standardized social stress paradigm, were studied. Forty healthy volunteers received either B. longum 1714™ or placebo for 4 weeks at a dose of 1 × 10 cfu/d. Brain activity was measured using magnetoencephalography and health status using the 36-item short-form health survey. B. longum 1714™ altered resting-state neural oscillations, with an increase in theta band power in the frontal and cingulate cortex (P < 0.05) and a decrease in beta-3 band in the hippocampus, fusiform, and temporal cortex (P < 0.05), both of which were associated with subjective vitality changes. All groups showed increased social stress after a 4-week intervention without an effect at behavioral level due to small sample numbers. However, only B. longum 1714™ altered neural oscillation after social stress, with increased theta and alpha band power in the frontal and cingulate cortex (P < 0.05) and supramarginal gyrus (P < 0.05). B. longum 1714™ modulated resting neural activity that correlated with enhanced vitality and reduced mental fatigue. Furthermore, B. longum 1714™ modulated neural responses during social stress, which may be involved in the activation of brain coping centers to counter-regulate negative emotions.

To evaluate the probiotic, Bifidobacterium breve strain Yakult (BBG-01), for safety and enhancement of immunogenicity in an oral inactivated cholera vaccine, a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study was performed. Bangladeshi children under 5-year-old received BBG-01 or placebo for 4 weeks with two doses of oral cholera vaccine. Serum/fecal antibodies and fecal bacterial flora in the study participants were monitored. All adverse events were mild and transient and had no significant difference between the two groups. Immunological responses were similar comparing the two groups. A negative correlation between Bifidobacterium and Enterobacteriaceae in the probiotic group suggests a possible involvement of BBG-01 in alteration of the enteric bacterial flora. In conclusion, BBG-01 is well tolerated by Bangladeshi children although the post vaccinal immunostimulatory effect of BBG-01 was not evident.

Background Alcohol abuse has deleterious effects on human health by disrupting the functions of many organs and systems. Gut microbiota has been implicated in the pathogenesis of alcohol-related liver diseases, with its composition manifesting expressed dysbiosis in patients suffering from alcoholic dependence. Due to its inherent plasticity, gut microbiota is an important target for prevention and treatment of these diseases. Identification of the impact of alcohol abuse with associated psychiatric symptoms on the gut community structure is confounded by the liver dysfunction. In order to differentiate the effects of these two factors, we conducted a comparative “shotgun” metagenomic survey of 99 patients with the alcohol dependence syndrome represented by two cohorts—with and without liver cirrhosis. The taxonomic and functional composition of the gut microbiota was subjected to a multifactor analysis including comparison with the external control group. Results Alcoholic dependence and liver cirrhosis were associated with profound shifts in gut community structures and metabolic potential across the patients. The specific effects on species-level community composition were remarkably different between cohorts with and without liver cirrhosis. In both cases, the commensal microbiota was found to be depleted. Alcoholic dependence was inversely associated with the levels of butyrate-producing species from the Clostridiales order, while the cirrhosis—with multiple members of the Bacteroidales order. The opportunist pathogens linked to alcoholic dependence included pro-inflammatory Enterobacteriaceae , while the hallmarks of cirrhosis included an increase of oral microbes in the gut and more frequent occurrence of abnormal community structures. Interestingly, each of the two factors was associated with the expressed enrichment in many Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus —but the exact set of the species was different between alcoholic dependence and liver cirrhosis. At the level of functional potential, the patients showed different patterns of increase in functions related to alcohol metabolism and virulence factors, as well as pathways related to inflammation. Conclusions Multiple shifts in the community structure and metabolic potential suggest strong negative influence of alcohol dependence and associated liver dysfunction on gut microbiota. The identified differences in patterns of impact between these two factors are important for planning of personalized treatment and prevention of these pathologies via microbiota modulation. Particularly, the expansion of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus suggests that probiotic interventions for patients with alcohol-related disorders using representatives of the same taxa should be considered with caution. Taxonomic and functional analysis shows an increased propensity of the gut microbiota to synthesis of the toxic acetaldehyde, suggesting higher risk of colorectal cancer and other pathologies in alcoholics.

Administration of probiotics to premature newborns has been shown to prevent necrotizing enterocolitis and reduce all-cause mortality. In our hospital, we documented 2 cases of Bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis bacteremia in newborns receiving probiotics. By comparative genomics, we confirmed that the strains isolated from each patient originated from the probiotics.

Bifidobacterium is a common bacterium colonizing human intestines which is frequently used to produce probiotic-related products. Since the rapid development of probiotic products field over recent years, improving probiotic-related testing methods, as well as conducting systematic safety evaluations is urgently needed. Advances in sequencing technology enable clinicians to access the complete genome of bacteria more effectively via whole genome sequencing, thereby providing a solution for the safety evaluation of probiotics. In our current study, seven samples of the Bifidobacterium spp. were isolated from probiotic products, and genomic analysis were used to improve the identification of Bifidobacterium spp. at the species and subspecies levels. Notably, the obtained high-quality complete genomes were employed to predict the genetically encoded drug resistance and virulence attributes of seven Bifidobacterium strains, which further improve the evaluation of probiotics safety. Genes imparting beneficial functional properties, as well as those associated with colonization and survival within the gastrointestinal tract were presented in all strains. In addition, whole genome sequencing-based analysis combined with phylogenetic trees could help identify the subspecies and facilitate the analysis of the existing homology of samples and the previously reported differences between strains. Our study evaluated the accuracy of mainstream approaches in identifying the bacteria probiotic-related products, and uncovered the deceptive facts in bacteria labeling. Our findings could provide the experimental basis for subspecies level bacterial identification in probiotic-related industry, and to help establish a standard systematic safety evaluation method.

The role of gut microbiome was recently raised in the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The aim of this study was to elucidate changes in gut microbiome in Egyptian autistic children and its possible correlation with the severity of autism and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. The gut bacterial microbiome of 41 ASD children, 45 siblings, and 45 healthy controls were analyzed using quantitative SYBR Green real-time PCR technique targeting 16S rRNA of selected bacteria. The gut microbiome of ASD children and their siblings contained a higher relative abundance of Bacteroides as well as Ruminococcus than controls. Prevotella/Bacteroides (P/B) ratio and Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) were significantly lower in both ASD cases and their siblings. The only difference between the autistic cases and their siblings was the significantly higher level of Bifidobacterium in siblings, which appears to offer them a protective role. There was no correlation between the altered gut microbiome and the severity of autism or GI symptoms. The current study showed an evidence of changes in the gut microbiome of autistic children compared to the unrelated control. However, the microbiome profile of siblings was more like that of autistic children than that of unrelated controls indicating that gut microbiota is affected by dietary habits, living conditions together with host genetic factors.

Background Probiotics may provide a benefit for adults with Prader‐Willi syndrome (PWS) experiencing constipation. The primary aim was to determine if Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis B94 (B. lactis B94) improves stool frequency, with secondary aims of stool form and gastrointestinal symptoms. Exploratory aims included diet quality and fecal microbiota composition. Methods Following a 4‐week baseline, 25 adults with PWS were randomized to consume B. lactis B94 by capsule (15 billion) or placebo for 4 weeks, followed by 4‐week washout in a double‐blind, crossover design. Stool frequency and Bristol Stool Form (BSF) were assessed daily, and Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) and dietary intake (7‐days food records), per period. Fecal microbiota per period was analyzed using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and taxa of interest by qPCR (n = 24). Results No adverse events were reported. Stool frequency at baseline (n = 25; 2.0 ± 0.1 stools/day), GSRS syndromes, and microbiota composition did not differ with the probiotic intervention overall; however, a delayed, carry‐over effect on BSF types 6 and 7 was seen. Diet quality by HEI‐2015 was 65.4 ± 8.5. Conclusion In adults with PWS, B. lactis B94 exhibited little effect on laxation over 4 weeks; however, further research is needed. In adults affected by Prader‐Willi syndrome, and consuming an energy‐controlled diet of moderate diet quality, administration of the probiotic, Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis B94, does not impact microbiota profiles.

Hypersecretion of proinflammatory cytokines and dysregulated activation of the IL-23/Th17 axis in response to intestinal microbiota dysbiosis are key factors in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). In this work, we studied how Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains affect AIEC-LF82 virulence mechanisms and the consequent inflammatory response linked to the CCR6–CCL20 and IL-23/Th17 axes in Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients. All Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains significantly reduced the LF82 adhesion and persistence within HT29 intestinal epithelial cells, inhibiting IL-8 secretion while not affecting the CCR6–CCL20 axis. Moreover, they significantly reduced LF82 survival within macrophages and dendritic cells, reducing the secretion of polarizing cytokines related to the IL-23/Th17 axis, both in healthy donors (HD) and UC patients. In CD patients, however, only B. breve Bbr8 strain was able to slightly reduce the LF82 persistence within dendritic cells, thus hampering the IL-23/Th17 axis. In addition, probiotic strains were able to modulate the AIEC-induced inflammation in HD, reducing TNF-α and increasing IL-10 secretion by macrophages, but failed to do so in IBD patients. Interestingly, the probiotic strains studied in this work were all able to interfere with the IL-23/Th17 axis in UC patients, but not in CD patients. The different interaction mechanisms of probiotic strains with innate immune cells from UC and CD patients compared to HD suggest that testing on CD-derived immune cells may be pivotal for the identification of novel probiotic strains that could be effective also for CD patients.

In 2018, more than 4,000 publications were dedicated to the study of the gut microbiota, and an important proportion investigated cardiometabolic disorders associated with overweight and obesity. Novel mechanisms and strategies have emerged, some of which were focused not only on specific bacteria or nutrients, but also on new metabolites.