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| History of Probiotics |
When Louis Pasteur (1822 –1895) conceived the idea of bad bacteria responsible for epidemics, he took the world by storm. His theory brought about the antibiotic revolution. Later on Elie Matchnikov (1845 –1916) was responsible for another major change in medicine – the probiotic revolution. He put forth the theory that good bacteria are responsible for good health. According to the definition of WHO, ‘Probiotics are live bacteria that offer health benefit to the host when administered in adequate amounts.
Today it is known that the normal human microflora is important as a barrier against colonization by exogenous pathogenic microorganisms and potentially pathogenic bacteria already present in small numbers in the microflora. The normal microflora influence several biochemical, physiological and immunological features of the host, particularly the gastrointestinal flora which consist of the most dense and diverse collection of bacteria.
Disturbances in the normal microflora can be caused by several things, one being the administration of antimicrobial agents (Anti-biotics). The normal microflora is also disturbed in infectious conditions and also when there is inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.
For details please see Maknsons Probiotic Manual |
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