title: Insights from 100 Years of Research with ProbioticE. Coli.
abstract: A century ago, Alfred Nissle discovered that intentional intake of particular strains ofEscherichia colicould treat patients suffering from infectious diseases. Since then, one of these strains became the most frequently used probioticE. coliin research and was applied to a variety of human conditions. Here, properties of thatE. coliNissle 1917 strain are compared with other commercially availableE. coliprobiotic strains, with emphasis on their human applications. A literature search formed the basis of a summary of research findings reported for the probiotics Mutaflor, Symbioflor 2, and Colinfant. The closest relatives of the strains in these products are presented, and their genetic content, including the presence of virulence, genes is discussed. A similarity to pathogenic strains causing urinary tract infections is noticeable. Historic trends in research of probiotics treatment for particular human conditions are identified. The future of probioticE. colimay lay in what Alfred Nissle originally discovered: to treat gastrointestinal infections, which nowadays are often caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Microbiology and Genomics Consultants , Tannenstrasse 7, 55576 Zotzenheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Trudy M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Wassenaar
keywords: Escherichia coli; Nissle; Symbioflor; applications; human studies; probiotics