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Abstract

Bacteriocin-producing probiotic Streptococcus salivarius M18 offers beneficial modulatory capabilities within the oral microbiome, apparently through potent inhibitory activity against potentially deleterious bacteria, such as Streptococcus pyogenes. The oral cavity persistence of S. salivarius M18 was investigated in 75 subjects receiving four different doses for 28 days. Sixty per cent of the subjects already had some inhibitor-producing S. salivarius in their saliva prior to probiotic intervention. Strain M18's persistence was dependent upon the dose, but not the period of administration. Culture analysis indicated that in some individuals the introduced strain had almost entirely replaced the indigenous S. salivarius, though the total numbers of the species did not increase. Selected subjects showing either high or low probiotic persistence had their salivary populations profiled using Illumina sequencing of the V6 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Analysis indicated that while certain bacterial phenotypes were markedly modulated, the overall composition of the oral microbiome was not modified by the probiotic treatment. Megaplasmids encoding bacteriocins and adhesion factors were transferred in vitro to generate a transconjugant S. salivarius exhibiting enhanced antimicrobial production and binding capabilities to HEp-2 cells. Since no widespread perturbation of the existing indigenous microbiota was associated with oral instillation and given its antimicrobial activity against potentially pathogenic streptococci, it appears that application of probiotic strain M18 offers potential low impact alternative to classical antibiotic prophylaxis. For candidate probiotic strains having relatively poor antimicrobial or adhesive properties, unique derivatives displaying improved probiotic performance may be engineered in vitro by megaplasmid transfer.

Research Insights

SupplementHealth OutcomeEffect TypeEffect Size
Streptococcus salivariusMaintained Gut Microbiota CompositionBeneficial
Large
Streptococcus salivariusReduced Harmful Gut BacteriaBeneficial
Moderate
Streptococcus salivariusReduced Oral Cavity PersistenceBeneficial
Moderate
Streptococcus salivarius BLIS M18Improved Antimicrobial ProductionBeneficial
Large
Streptococcus salivarius BLIS M18Increased Antimicrobial ResistanceBeneficial
Moderate
Streptococcus salivarius BLIS M18Modulated Bacterial PhenotypesNeutral
Small
Streptococcus salivarius M18Enhanced Antimicrobial ActivityBeneficial
Small
Streptococcus salivarius M18Improved Adhesion CharacteristicsBeneficial
Small
Streptococcus salivarius M18Reduced Harmful Gut BacteriaBeneficial
Moderate
Streptococcus salivarius M18Reduced Impact on Existing Indigenous MicrobiotaNeutral
Large
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