Enterococcus faecium is a lactic acid bacterium with applications in food engineering and nutrigenomics, including as starter cultures in fermented foods. To differentiate the E. faecium probiotic from pathogenic bacteria, physiological analyses are often used but they do not guarantee that a bacterial strain is not pathogenic. We report here new findings and an approach based on comparison of the genetic mobility of (1) probiotic, (2) pathogenic, and (3) nonpathogenic and non-probiotic strains, so as to differentiate probiotics, and inform their safe use. The region of the 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) genes of different E. faecium strains native to Pernambuco-Brazil was used with the GenBank query sequence. Complete genomes were selected and divided into three groups as noted above to identify the mobile genetic elements (MGEs) (transposase, integrase, conjugative transposon protein and phage) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and to undertake pan-genome analysis and multiple genome alignment. Differences in the number of MGEs were found in ARGs, in the presence and absence of the genes that differentiate E. faecium probiotics and pathogenic bacteria genetically. Our data suggest that genetic mobility appears to be informative in differentiating between probiotic and pathogenic strains. While the present findings are not necessarily applicable to all probiotics, they offer novel molecular insights to guide future research in nutrigenomics, clinical medicine, and food engineering on new ways to differentiate pathogenic from probiotic bacteria.

Probiotics have been suggested as a treatment for canine atopic dermatitis, a form of dermatopathy common in dogs. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of probiotics as an adjuvant in treating canine atopic dermatitis in vivo studies with dogs. The study was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Only clinical studies in dogs with atopic dermatitis that received intervention with probiotics were selected, being just original articles in English from the last 5 years (2019–2023). A total of 293 articles were obtained, and after the inclusion criteria, only 5 articles were eligible and included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The 5 studies used different probiotics at concentrations of 108 to 1010CFU/mL/g, 3 studies with oral administration for 12 weeks, and 2 studies with topical use for 4 weeks. The meta-analysis results show that probiotics did not present significant effects against atopic dermatitis by evaluating the CADESI-4 scale (P=0.08) and the PVAS scale (P=0.85). Furthermore, regarding the method of administration of probiotics (oral or topical), the meta-analysis showed that there were also no significant results when the disease index was evaluated using CADESI-4 (P=0.07) or PVAS (P=0.92). We concluded that, even without significant effects, all trials showed a reduction in CADESI-4 and PVAS scores, reflecting a reduction in the severity of atopic dermatitis in dogs that used probiotics as treatment adjuvants.

Intestinal infections are recurrent in several countries, mainly in developing regions. The use of antibiotics to minimize the problem, for example, can lead to the development of bacterial resistance or even the elimination of several beneficial microorganisms for human or animal organisms. Thus, new methods that help in the prevention or treatment of intestinal infections are needed. In this study, aiming at a new perspective to prevent or treat infections in the intestinal tract, the use of the probiotic bacteria E. faecium 133v was analyzed, as well as its metabolites or composition against the main opportunistic bacteria of the intestine: Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Shigella flexneri, Shigella sonnei, Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria spp. Antagonist analysis in disk diffusion demonstrated the ability of E. faecium 133v to inhibit the growth of most microorganisms, obtaining an inhibition zone between 3 mm and 6 mm, with the Listeria spp. bacterium showing greater sensitivity. Furthermore, the supernatant and EPS from E. faecium 133v had an antimicrobial effect on all six pathogenic strains. These results show the ability of E. faecium 133v as a potent helper, opposing the main opportunistic bacteria in the intestine.

Este estudo cientométrico investiga as produções científicas dos últimos cinco anos sobre o uso de prebióticos, isolados ou combinados com probióticos, na medicina humana. A pesquisa baseia-se na premissa de que a utilização desses compostos está se tornando cada vez mais importante no tratamento de doenças clínicas. A análise do seu uso e das abordagens médicas associadas é crucial para compreender o potencial dessas substâncias na modulação da microbiota intestinal e na resposta imunológica dos pacientes. A pesquisa foi conduzida nas bases de dados PubMed e Scopus, adotando critérios específicos de inclusão e exclusão. Foram selecionados estudos clínicos, randomizados e controlados por placebos, enquanto artigos in vitro ou revisões de literatura foram excluídos. O período analisado compreendeu os anos de 2019 a 2024. Os resultados indicam um aumento significativo nas publicações sobre o tema, especialmente entre 2022 e 2023. A maioria das pesquisas utilizou a combinação de prebióticos e probióticos, demonstrando uma relação positiva dessa associação com a saúde da microbiota intestinal.

Nos últimos anos, a demanda por alimentos alternativos e funcionais têm impulsionado a indústria a desenvolver produtos não lácteos com novas fontes de bioativos, atendendo às necessidades de pessoas com restrições ao leite tradicional. Diante disso, essa revisão tem como objetivo investigar o uso e a viabilidade dos probióticos em substitutos lácteos vegetais, abrangendo estudos publicados nos últimos dez anos. A pesquisa foi realizada nas bases de dados Periódicos CAPES, SciELO, Scopus e Science Direct, utilizando a estratégia de busca: “non-dairy” OR “plant milk” OR “plant-based” AND “milk” AND “probiotic” OR “milk probiotic”. Foram incluídos apenas artigos originais revisados por pares, no idioma inglês ou português, entre os anos de 2014 e 2024. Como critérios de inclusão considerou-se apenas estudos com extratos vegetais derivados de leguminosas, oleaginosas e cereais fermentados com probióticos. Dos 19 estudos selecionados, observou-se que as matrizes vegetais influenciaram no crescimento dos probióticos, que apresentaram concentrações variando entre 6 e 9 Log UFC/mL. A análise sensorial esteve presente em 63% dos artigos e mostrou que a fermentação melhorou as propriedades organolépticas e reologias dos produtos, além da fermentação melhorar também a biodisponibilidade de nutrientes. No entanto aspectos críticos, como a resistência dos probióticos ao trato gastrointestinal e a avaliação de toxicidade das matrizes vegetais foram pouco explorados, indicando a necessidade de mais estudos para garantir a segurança e eficácia desses produtos. Com isso, conclui-se que os substitutos lácteos vegetais probióticos representam uma alternativa viável e funcional, alinhada às tendências globais de alimentação saudável e sustentável.