RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Antigen exposure is one of the major exogenous factors modulating human immunocompetence acquisition. Decline in family size and improvements in public health and hygiene in developed countries, may deprive the immune system of appropriate antigen input by diminishing infectious stimuli. Probiotics are a large group of microorganisms defined by their beneficial effects on human health and with stimulating effects on different functions of the immune system. AIM OF THE STUDY: We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to determine if probiotics maintain their immune-stimulating effects in a population of 162 children with a high index of natural exposure to microorganisms. Children were to ingest for at least 4 months one of two products, low-fat milk fermented by Streptococcus thermophilus (control product) or low-fat milk fermented by S. thermophilus and Lactobacillus casei, with Lactobacillus acidophilus, oligofructose and inulin added after the fermentation process (test product). According to their age, children were vaccinated with DTP-Hib vaccine or a 23-valent anti-pneumococcal vaccine. RESULTS: Final analysis of results was done in 70 children in each group, showing that the rate of immunoglobulin and isoagglutinin acquisition was similar in both groups. There was no difference between groups in antibody levels neither before nor after vaccination. Days of fever and number of episodes of infection were not statistically different in either group. CONCLUSIONS: Supplementation of standard fermented milk with additional probiotics was not of benefit. The high natural rate of early microbial exposure in infants and children from a population of low socio-economic status living in a "less hygienic environment" may account for the absence of an additional immune-stimulating effect by supplementary probiotics.
Assuntos
Aglutininas/imunologia , Formação de Anticorpos/imunologia , Suplementos Nutricionais , Imunoglobulinas/imunologia , Probióticos/farmacologia , Aglutininas/sangue , Aglutininas/efeitos dos fármacos , Formação de Anticorpos/efeitos dos fármacos , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Método Duplo-Cego , Ensaio de Imunoadsorção Enzimática , Feminino , Humanos , Imunoglobulinas/sangue , Imunoglobulinas/efeitos dos fármacos , Lactente , Lactobacillus acidophilus/imunologia , Lacticaseibacillus casei/imunologia , Masculino , Fatores Socioeconômicos , Streptococcus thermophilus/imunologiaRESUMO
El streptococcus pyogenes (estreptococo beta hemolítico grupo A) (S. pyogenes) es el microorganismo aislado mas frecuentemente en la faringo amigdalitis bacteriana. No existen hasta el momento cepas resistentes a penicilina, por lo tanto sigue siendo el antibiótico de elección para su tratamiento. En los últimos años se ha detectado un aumento de la resistencia a antibióticos de la familia de los macrólidos, tanto en nuestro país como en el resto del mundo. Debido a esta realidad decidimos vigilar que ocurre con los aislamientos de S. pyogenes obtenidos de muestras de hisopados de fauces en nuestro hospital.Se estudiaron 152 cepas entre mayo de 2002 y mayo de 2006. El cultivo y la identificación bioquímica se realizaron por la metodología convencional. Las pruebas de sensibilidad se ensayaron de acuerdo a las normas CLSI (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute). Se realizo antibiograma por difusión en agar Mueller-Hinton con 5% de sangre ovina, probándose penicilina, eritromicina y clindamicina.Todos los aislamientos estudiados fueron sensibles a los antibióticos ensayados. Dado su bajo costo y su baja selección de resistencia en el resto de la flora oro-faríngia, la penicilina sigue siendo el antibiótico de elección para el tratamiento de las faringitis estreptocóccicas.