It is a strictly anaerobic, Gram-positive, spore-forming bacillus named for its capacity to produce high amounts of butyric acid. It was first isolated from pig intestines in 1880. Since then, several strains of C. butyricum have been described in a variety of environments, and are common human and animal gut commensal bacteria. A recent study found C. butyricum strains in 302 of 978 environmental samples tested (31%). The highest percentage of isolates was found in soil, vegetables, soured milk, and cheeses. In humans, following birth, the neonate's intestine is progressively colonized by facultative and strictly anaerobic bacteria, including C. butyricum. Ferraris et al. found that 44% of faecal samples collected from asymptomatic preterm neonates (n = 76), whose median gestational age was 32.8 weeks, tested positive for C. butyricum . Surveys have identified C. butyricum in 10–20% of human faecal samples by microbial culture. Moreover, this bacterium has been widely used as a probiotic in Asia (particularly in Japan, Korea, and China). However, some C. butyricum strains detected in stool samples have also been implicated in pathological conditions such as botulism in infants and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm neonates.Several Clostridium species involved in infectious diseases are known to be pathogenic, essentially by producing potent toxins that are responsible for life-threatening diseases in humans and other animals. Interestingly, these species produce the highest number of toxins of any type of bacteria, and the genetic characteristics of toxigenic clostridia support horizontal toxin gene transfer. Notably, it has been shown that toxigenic and non-toxigenic Clostridium difficile strains form part of the normal human gut microbiota. Moreover, within the same species, antagonist effects have been described. A recent pilot study showed that the administration of spores of a non-toxigenic C. difficile strain was effective for the prevention of recurrent C. difficile infection caused by toxigenic strains. As fermentative bacteria, clostridia produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), primarily butyrate and acetate, through fermentation of mainly undigested dietary carbohydrates. This has the primary effect of stimulating the proliferation of enterocytes . It has also been shown that butyrate may downregulate the expression of several virulence genes. Although previous reports have suggested that, besides C. difficile, other Clostridium species may also cause antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, anaerobic research in clinical practice is frequently limited to C. difficile and its toxins. Detection of clostridia in stool samples remains challenging. Although the advent of modern molecular microbiological methods has expanded the degree of detection, it is also hampered by several biases. Consequently, there has been renewed interest in culture methods. In a recent comparative analysis of stool samples using culture and 16S rRNA gene sequencing data, only 15% overlap was found. Complementary approaches are therefore necessary to explore the gut microbiota. Through the use of both techniques, we recently ascertained a specific association between NEC and C. butyricum. These data were confirmed by the use of a specific quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay to screen a larger set of samples. Genome suquencing allowed the detection of genes encoding toxin-like proteins shared by this C. butyricum strain.
Dosage
Follow physician's guidance or instructions enclosed.
Storage
Keep at 5-15DC and dry out of sunlight.
More:
Lactobacillus Bulgaricus/ Lactobacillus Plantarum/ Lactobacillus Johnsonii
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