“An in vitro study on the antagonistic activities of certain Lactobacillus species against some bacterial pathogens”

Abstract

Background:Probiotics have long been used for their beneficial health effects and are currently being studied on scientific basis to explore their potential effects in different health fields. Lactobacillus is one of the genera that gained a great interest in probiotic research owing to their long history of safe use in humans and their abundant in different environmental habitats. They are now being intensely studied for their potential anti-infective properties in an attempt to find suitable alternatives to the currently available conventional antibiotics. This interest was actually triggered by the current situation of rising antibiotic resistance rates and declining rates of antibiotic development that brings us to the cusp of a post-antibiotic era. Moreover, it has been inspired by thecontemporaneous trend of exploring nature for efficient nature-based therapeutics. Objective: To investigate the antagonistic activities of Lactobacillus against some bacterial pathogens known for being frequently implicated in biofilm-associated infections in various human body sites. Methodology and Findings:Two Lactobacillusstrains;L. rhamnosus ATCC 7469 and L. gasseri DSM 20077 were tested for their antagonistic activities against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. These three pathogens are commonly encountered in biofilm infections.