STUDIES & PUBLICATIONS

Here you will find worthwhile studies and informative publications from science and research on the subject of probiotics/hygiene.

Study Univ. Hospital Jena (Charité) 2022

In the study*, three hygiene methods were compared over a period of 39 weeks: disinfection (Dis), cleaner (Det) and probiotic hygiene (Pro). Probiotic hygiene proved to be the most effective. In the overall comparison, probiotic hygiene was up to ten times more effective than disinfection, for example.

While the disinfection effect only lasts about 30 minutes, the probiotic hygiene was still effective after 24 hours. Another plus point was the diversity of the microorganisms. The higher the number of species, the more stable the positive microbiome is on the surfaces, which therefore cannot be contaminated as quickly.

You can find the entire study here.

*Klassert TE et al., Comparative analysis of surface sanitization protocols on the bacterial community structures in the hospital environment, Clinical Microbiology and Infection, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2022.02.032

User observations 2021

Town hall (in Lower Saxony), registration office, building office, social welfare office

Initial situation: On November 18, 2020, a device was installed in the registration office of a town hall (Lower Saxony) that ensures the regular application of probiotics using ultrasound, with the aim of creating a positive microbiome and thereby reducing negative germ pressure. The risk of contamination by pathogens (bad germs) is particularly high in rooms with public traffic. This procedure looked for staphylococci. These are widespread in the human environment and sometimes lead to considerable health damage. The emergence of MRSA germs (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), which could not be controlled with conventional cleaning agents and disinfection. MRSA is a highly dangerous germ that is resistant to antibiotics and very often leads to serious illnesses and can be fatal in immunocompromised people.

Method: The first swab sample was taken on November 25, 2020. In order to obtain a comparison, swab samples were also taken in the building authority and the social welfare office. Afterwards, devices were also set up in the rooms of the building authority and the social welfare office and the next swab samples were carried out and evaluated in all mentioned rooms on February 4, 2021.

Evaluation: The evaluations showed a high concentration of staphylococci such as S.warneri, S. epidermidis, S. lugdunensis, S. equorum, S. haemolyticus as well as Bacilluscereus and other pathogenic germs.

Result: After the evaluation, a significant reduction in pathogenic germs was detected. At the same time, it was found that a more positive microbiome had developed in all rooms. The fluctuations in the total number of probiotics can be explained by the conventional cleaning of the workplaces.

Conclusion: The following values ​​also confirm the studies and results already conducted, such as the Ferrara study and the PlosOne study, in which a reduction in the germ pressure of bad germs of up to 89%, in contrast to conventional cleaning agents and disinfection, could be demonstrated through the use of probiotic cleaning agents (from the same manufacturer).

Negative microbiome / Before and after treatment

Positive microbiome / Before and after treatment

STUDY – Gromashevsky Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases – 2017

Probiotics against viruses?

In 2017, the Gromashevsky Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases investigated the effect of B. subtilis on influenza viruses. The study was published by the American Society for Microbiology. Here is an excerpt:

Among the Bacillus bacteria, B. subtilis is the species that produces the most antimicrobial compounds. In this study, we analyzed the activity of the probiotic strain B. subtilis 3 against the influenza virus. The antiviral activity of this strain was demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. ..The protective effect of P18 in mice was comparable to that of oseltamivir phosate (Tamiflu). Further studies will investigate the potential of the P18 peptide as an antiviral substance and as a promising candidate for the development of new antiviral vaccines.

Excerpt from the study - Source: https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/AAC.00539-17

STUDY – PLOS ONE – 2014

St. Anna Hospital, San Giorgio and AZ Lokeren

The most impressive study on the effectiveness of probiotic cleansing was published in 2014 in PLOS ONE (http://www.plosone.org/). They were conducted at the St. Anna Hospital in Ferrara, the San Giorgio Rehabilitation Hospital and the AZ Lokeren Hospital.

The reason for this was the extremely high incidence of MRSA germs (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), which could not be controlled with conventional cleaning agents and disinfection. MRSA is a highly dangerous germ that is resistant to antibiotics and very often leads to serious illnesses and can be fatal in people with weak immune systems.

The study included patient areas, corridors and sanitary facilities. A total of 20,000 microbiological samples (six to eight hours after cleaning) were taken from a wide variety of surfaces, such as floors, doors, showers, window sills, toilets and washbasins made of stone, wood, plastic, glass or metal. The total duration of the study was 96 weeks.

Reduction of pathogens by 50-89%

Microbial cleaning as part of the daily cleaning protocol resulted in a reduction of TAI-associated pathogens by 50 to 89%. This effect was achieved after 3-4 weeks and the reduction in pathogen load remained stable over the long term. In addition, when the microbial and conventional cleaning methods were used alternately, it was observed that this effect is directly related to the new method, as underlined by the increase in CFU/m2 when the conventional method was used instead of the microbial method. It shows that microbial cleaning is a more effective and sustainable alternative to chemical cleaning and non-specific disinfection in healthcare facilities.

Excerpt from the study

conclusion

This study has shown that microbial cleaning is an effective strategy to continuously reduce the number of HAI-associated microorganisms on surfaces. The first indications of the actual HAI occurrence in the continuously studied hospitals are promising and may pave the way for a new and cost-effective strategy to combat or (bio)control healthcare-associated pathogens.

Excerpt from the study

About PLOS ONE

PLOS ONE is an international, multidisciplinary online journal published by the Public Library of Science (PLOS). At its peak in 2013, PLOS ONE published more than 30,000 articles, making it the largest scientific journal in the world.)