A bacterium found in most probiotic digestive supplements can help kill Staphylococcus aureus, which is responsible for infections that cause tens of thousands of deaths every year worldwide.
Here are four things to know:
1, Researchers from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases led the study with researchers from the Mahidol University and Rajamangala University of Technology in Thailand.
2. For the study, scientists analyzed fecal samples from 200 residents of rural Thailand. They found 101 samples tested positive for a type of Bacillus bacteria called B. subtilis, which are found in many probiotic products. Researchers then screened the study participants for S. aureus in the gut and nose. Twenty-five individuals tested positive for bacteria the gut and 26 tested positive for bacteria the nose. Researchers did not detect S. aureus in samples also containing Bacillus.
3. Researchers conducted follow-up studies with mice to understand how Bacillus inhibits S. aureus from growing in the nose and gut. They discovered Bacillus contain a type of lipopeptide that inhibit S. aureus' sensing system, which allows the bacteria to grow in the gut. To validate their findings, scientists colonized the gut of mice with S. aureus and fed them B. subtilis spores every two days, which eliminated the bacteria.
4. Additional tests showed fengycins, the specific lipopeptide, also stopped the growth of other S. aureus strains like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
"Probiotics frequently are recommended as dietary supplements to improve digestive health," Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of NIAID, said in a press release."This is one of the first studies to describe precisely how they may work to provide health benefits. The possibility that oral Bacillus might be an effective alternative to antibiotic treatment for some conditions is scientifically intriguing and definitely worthy of further exploration."
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