Oral probiotics as anti-infectious immune response stimulators in the respiratory tract

Abstract

This review analyzes whether it is expedient to use oral probiotics for the stimulation of immune response against pathogens in the respiratory tract. It considers a relationship between mucosal microbial colonization in different biotopes of the body and mucosal immunity in the respiratory tract. The principal and terminological controversial issues of colonic dysbiosis and the possibilities of using the medicines and products containing live commensals/symbionts to correct microbiota disturbances are examined. There are data on the degree of resistance and resilience of the colonic microbial community exposed to destabilizing factors, antibiotics in particular. The properties of probiotics that have been proven to enhance host response against pathogens and the phenomena that characterize these probiotics as immunomodifiers and distinguish them from other immunostimulating/immunomodulating agents are described. Criteria for choosing effective and safe oral probiotics to stimulate an immune response in the respiratory tract are formulated. Finally, we review the data on the clinical and immunomodulatory effects of dietary supplement containing a combination of three probiotic strains (Lactobacillus gasseri PA 16/8, Bifidobacterium bifidum MF 20/5 and Bifidobacterium longum SP 07/3) with vitamins and minerals as an agent to prevent and reduce the severity of acute and recurrent respiratory tract infections.

Keywords

• gut microbiota
• dysbiosis
• terminology
• probiotics
• immunomodulators
• respiratory infections
• nonspecific immunoprophylaxis