A five patient’s case study on the influence of two different probiotics on individual intestinal microbiota | Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007 Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer Open Menu Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007 Home Food Science Publisher Functional Food Center Current Archives About About the Journal Aims and Scope Contact Editing Services Editorial Team Express Peer Review Graphical Abstract Journal Insights Privacy Statement Submissions Announcements Search Search Register Login Home / Archives / Vol. 3 No. 5 (2013): May 2013 / Research Articles A five patient’s case study on the influence of two different probiotics on individual intestinal microbiota Authors Yoko Uchiyama-Tanaka Yoko Clinic, 3-3-13 Takami, Yahatahigashi-ku, Kitakyushu 805-0016 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31989/ffhd.v3i5.59 Abstract Background: The composition and activities of indigenous intestinal microbiota are of paramount importance to human immunity, nutrition, and pathological processes, and hence, the health of the individual. It is well established that the intestine is an important site for local immunity. It is known that the effect of probiotics increases beneficial microbiota and improves chronic conditions such as atopic diseases, irritable bowel disease, and obesity. However, as there are so many probiotics, it is unknown which probiotics might have more of an impact upon intestinal microbiota. Objective: To understand how two different types of probiotics influence human intestinal microbiota, we analyzed human fecal microbiota after taking each of the probiotics. Methods: Five outpatients from Yoko Clinic (1 male and 4 females; aged between 34–46 years old) were enrolled in this study. None of the subjects had cancer or any active inflammatory diseases. The five patients took Lactobacillus buchneri (SU) for 4 weeks, no probiotics the following week, and mixed probiotics (NS) which are Lactobacillus plantarum (NS-5), Lactobacillus rhamnosus (NS-11), Lactobacillus delbruekii (NS-12), Lactobacillus helveticus (NS-8), Lactobacillus fermentum (NS-9) for the following 4 weeks. Fecal samples were collected before and after the outpatients took each of the two probiotics, and were then analyzed using a kit from Techno Suruga Laboratory Co., Ltd. The analysis of the microbiota was performed by targeting bacterial 16S rRNA genes with a terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis program (Nagashima method). Results: Three patients of the five patients decreased the percentage of beneficial bacteria (Lactobacillales, Bifidobacteria) after taking SU (13.7 ± 7.1% to 4.0 ± 3.5%), whereas the remaining two patients showed an increased percentage of beneficial bacteria (16.8 ± 3.4% to 30.4 ± 4.6%). After taking NS, the three patients who decreased the percentage of beneficial bacteria after taking SU increased their beneficial bacteria (4.0 ± 3.5% to 8.0 ± 2.1%), whereas the two patients who increased beneficial bacteria after taking SU showed a decreased percentage of beneficial bacteria (30.4 ± 4.6% to 16.4 ± 7.4%). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the two probiotics had different influences. Probiotics should be selected not only for their quality but also for compatibility with each intestinal bacterial flora. Key words: probiotics, intestine, microbiota Downloads [Abstract] [Full Article] Published 2013-05-30 Issue Vol. 3 No. 5 (2013): May 2013 Section Research Articles License Authors retain the copyright of their articles and grant the Functional Food Center (FFC) and its journals the right of first publication under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, including commercial use, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited. Authors may post and share their published work freely, provided that the original publication in this journal is acknowledged. By submitting to this journal, authors confirm that their manuscripts are original, not under consideration elsewhere, and that they hold the necessary rights to grant this license. The Functional Food Center encourages open scientific exchange and allows derivative and extended works, provided attribution to the original publication is maintained. About the Journal      Editing Services      Graphical Abstract      Journal Insights        Submissions        Editorial Team       Privacy Statement        Contact        Current        Archives   Open Journal Systems Hosting and Support by: OpenJournalSystems.com