Lactic Acid Bacteria in the Prevention of Urogenital and Respiratory Infections

NADER-MACÍAS MARÍA ELENA FÁTIMA; ALVAREZ SUSANA; SILVA DE RUIZ CLARA; MEDINA MARCELA; JUAREZ TOMÁS MARÍA SILVINA

Biotechnology of Lactic Acid Bacteria. Novel Applications

Wiley-Blackwell Publishing

Lugar: Oxford, Inglaterra; Año: 2010; p. 141 - 159

During the last decades there has been an explosion in the number of publications related to effects of probiotic microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract, both of humans and animals. More recently, and stimulated by the need for new strategies to increase or maintain the "high quality of life" parameters, the application of probiotics is spreading to diverse areas such as the urogenital and respiratory tracts. The use of probiotics in these tracts is being studied to prevent infections and to improve the health status of the host. Urogenital (some sexually transmitted) and respiratory infections are included in the most frequent causes of morbidity at different age populations, mainly in developing countries. In this chapter, updates on the advances in the applications of probiotics in both fields are reviewed, and their mechanisms of action are suggested. The revision deals with in vitro and in vivo experimental models, including the small amount of clinical evidence of probiotic effects in humans. Some critical technological parameters in the design of foods or pharmaceutical products containing probiotic microorganisms are also discussed.