Previously, we demonstrated that Propionibacterium acnes, a human skin commensal bacterium, ferments glycerol into short-chain fatty acids, including propionic acid. Propionic acid suppressed the growth of Staphylococcus aureus USA300, a community-acquired methicillin-resistant bacterium, in vitro and in vivo. In this study, it is demonstrated that the anti-USA300 activity of propionic acid per...

Acne vulgaris has long been postulated to feature a gastrointestinal mechanism, dating back 80 years to dermatologists John H. Stokes and Donald M. Pillsbury. They hypothesised that emotional states (e.g. depression and anxiety) could alter normal intestinal microbiota, increase intestinal permeability, and contribute to systemic inflammation. They were also among the first to propose the use o...

Crosstalk between organs is crucial for controlling numerous homeostatic systems (e.g. energy balance, glucose metabolism and immunity). Several pathological conditions, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, are characterised by a loss of or excessive inter-organ communication that contributes to the development of disease. Recently, we and others have identified several mechanisms linking the g...

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a pathogen of major public health importance. Colonisation precedes infection; thus reducing MRSA carriage may be of benefit for reducing infection. Probiotics represent a novel approach to reducing MRSA carriage. We undertook a pilot feasibility randomised controlled trial of the tolerability and acceptability of probiotics for reducing nas...

The effects of diets supplemented with either chickpea or its main oligosaccharide raffinose on the composition of the faecal microbial community were examined in 12 healthy adults (18-65 years) in a randomised crossover intervention study. Subjects consumed their usual diet supplemented with soups and desserts that were unfortified, or fortified with either 200 g/d of canned chickpeas or 5 g/d...

Hypercholesterolemia drives the development of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of mortality in western society. Supplementation with probiotics that interfere with cholesterol metabolism may provide a contribution to disease prevention. Lactobacillus plantarum CUL66 (NCIMB 30280) has been assessed in vitro for its ability to impact cholesterol absorption. L. plantarum CUL66 tested pos...

A well-established rat model of diet-induced metabolic syndrome was used to evaluate the effects of the oral administration of spores or cells of HU16, a carotenoid-producing strain of Bacillus indicus. Symptoms of metabolic syndrome were induced in 90-day old, male Sprague-Dawley rats maintained for eight weeks on a high-fat diet, as previously reported. Parallel groups of animals under the sa...

See “Fecal microbiota transplantation reduces symptoms in some patients with irritable bowel syndrome predominant abdominal bloating: short- and long-term results from a placebo-controlled randomized trial,” by Holvoet T, Joossens M, Vázquez-Castellanos JF, et al, on page 145. Fallacies still flourish medicine when language corrupts logic. Unexplained conditions, such as (IBS), are often referr...