BioGaia

Last updated
BioGaia
Company type Public ( Aktiebolag )
Nasdaq Stockholm:  BIOG B
ISIN SE0017769995
Industry Probiotics
Founded1990
Headquarters Stockholm, Sweden
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Peter Rothschild
(President)
Products BioGaia ProTectis drops, BioGaia ProTectis tablets, BioGaia ProTectis D3 drops, BioGaia ProTectis ORS, BioGaia ProDentis lozenges
Website http://www.biogaia.com

BioGaia is a Swedish biotechnology company that develops, markets and sells a range of probiotic products. [1] [2] [3] It has patented the use of several Lactobacillus reuteri strains and offers gut and immune health products containing L. reuteri Protectis (DSM 17938). Their oral health products contain L. reuteri Prodentis, a blend of the L. reuteri strains DSM 17938 and ATCC PTA 5289.[ citation needed ] Products containing L. reuteri have been proven to be both effective and safe in several applications:[ dubious discuss ] infant colic, [4] [5] diarrhea prevention and mitigation in children, [6] [7] eradication of H. pylori infection and reduction of side effects from standard H. pylori treatment, [8] [9] [10] amelioration of gingivitis, [11] [12] and general illness prevention in children [13] and adults. [14] BioGaia was ranked 9th in the Top 30 Global Probiotic Food Ingredient Companies list by FoodTalks in 2021. [15] The BioGaia -B share is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Nordic Exchange.[ citation needed ]

Contents

History

BioGaia was founded in 1990 to develop and commercialize a new strain of L. reuteri. The company's research director Dr. Ivan Casas believed that newborn chickens consumed their mothers' feces, allowing the transfer of beneficial microorganisms from the mother to the sterile newborn bird. He believed that the same was true for humans. [16] It is generally accepted that newborn babies are sterile at birth and are very sensitive to pathogenic bacteria before they establish a microbial flora of their own. [17]

This flora should preferably come from their mother. Ivan believed that Lactobacillus reuteri is one of the bacteria that a mother should transfer to her offspring, whether a chicken, a human baby or any other mammal. He wanted to create probiotic products that would confirm this "Circle of Life”.[ citation needed ]

The first step involved analysis of breast milk from mothers in the United States, Sweden, Israel, South Africa, Denmark, Japan, Peru and South Korea. Approximately 14-15% of the samples contained L. reuteri . [18] In a separate study, Casas found that samples of breast milk collected from women in Andean villages in Peru also contained numerous strains of L. reuteri , which were subsequently isolated. [19]

One of these strains is still used in BioGaia’s probiotic products. [20] [ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<i>Lactobacillus</i> Genus of bacteria

Lactobacillus is a genus of gram-positive, aerotolerant anaerobes or microaerophilic, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacteria. Until 2020, the genus Lactobacillus comprised over 260 phylogenetically, ecologically, and metabolically diverse species; a taxonomic revision of the genus assigned lactobacilli to 25 genera.

<i>Helicobacter pylori</i> Species of bacteria

Helicobacter pylori, previously known as Campylobacter pylori, is a gram-negative, flagellated, helical bacterium. Mutants can have a rod or curved rod shape, and these are less effective. Its helical body is thought to have evolved in order to penetrate the mucous lining of the stomach, helped by its flagella, and thereby establish infection. The bacterium was first identified as the causal agent of gastric ulcers in 1983 by the Australian doctors Barry Marshall and Robin Warren. In 2005 they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for this discovery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Probiotic</span> Microorganisms said to provide health benefits when consumed

Probiotics are live microorganisms promoted with claims that they provide health benefits when consumed, generally by improving or restoring the gut microbiota. Probiotics are considered generally safe to consume, but may cause bacteria-host interactions and unwanted side effects in rare cases. There is some evidence that probiotics are beneficial for some conditions, such as helping to ease some symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, many claimed health benefits, such as treating eczema, lack substantial scientific support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby colic</span> Medical condition

Baby colic, also known as infantile colic, is defined as episodes of crying for more than three hours a day, for more than three days a week, for three weeks in an otherwise healthy child. Often crying occurs in the evening. It typically does not result in long-term problems. The crying can result in frustration of the parents, depression following delivery, excess visits to the doctor, and child abuse.

<i>Lacticaseibacillus casei</i> Species of bacterium

Lacticaseibacillus casei is an organism that belongs to the largest genus in the family Lactobacillaceae, a lactic acid bacteria (LAB), that was previously classified as Lactobacillus casei. This bacteria has been identified as facultatively anaerobic or microaerophilic, acid-tolerant, non-spore-forming bacteria.

<i>Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus</i> Species of bacterium

Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus is a bacterium that originally was considered to be a subspecies of L. casei, but genetic research found it to be a separate species in the L. casei clade, which also includes L. paracasei and L. zeae. It is a short Gram-positive homofermentative facultative anaerobic non-spore-forming rod that often appears in chains. Some strains of L. rhamnosus bacteria are being used as probiotics, and are particularly useful in treating infections of the female urogenital tract, most particularly very difficult to treat cases of bacterial vaginosis. The species Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus and Limosilactobacillus reuteri are commonly found in the healthy female genito-urinary tract and are helpful to regain control of dysbiotic bacterial overgrowth during an active infection. L. rhamnosus sometimes is used in dairy products such as fermented milk and as non-starter-lactic acid bacterium (NSLAB) in long-ripened cheese. While frequently considered a beneficial organism, L. rhamnosus may not be as beneficial to certain subsets of the population; in rare circumstances, especially those primarily involving weakened immune system or infants, it may cause endocarditis. Despite the rare infections caused by L. rhamnosus, the species is included in the list of bacterial species with qualified presumed safety (QPS) status of the European Food Safety Agency.

Limosilactobacillus reuteri is a lactic acid bacterium found in a variety of natural environments, including the gastrointestinal tract of humans and other animals. It does not appear to be pathogenic and may have health effects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Dobrogosz</span>

Walter Dobrogosz is a professor emeritus of North Carolina State University, best known for his discovery and further research on the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus reuteri.

Levilactobacillus brevis is a gram-positive, rod shaped species of lactic acid bacteria which is heterofermentative, creating CO2, lactic acid and acetic acid or ethanol during fermentation. L. brevis is the type species of the genus Levilactobacillus (previously L. brevis group), which comprises 24 species. It can be found in many different environments, such as fermented foods, and as normal microbiota. L. brevis is found in food such as sauerkraut and pickles. It is also one of the most common causes of beer spoilage. Ingestion has been shown to improve human immune function, and it has been patented several times. Normal gut microbiota L. brevis is found in human intestines, vagina, and feces.

<i>Saccharomyces boulardii</i> Species of fungus

Saccharomyces boulardii is a tropical yeast first isolated from lychee and mangosteen fruit peel in 1923 by French scientist Henri Boulard. Although early reports claimed distinct taxonomic, metabolic, and genetic properties, S. boulardii is genetically a grouping of S. cerevisiae strains, sharing >99% genomic relatedness, giving the synonym S. cerevisiae var. boulardii.

Limosilactobacillus fermentum is a Gram-positive species in the heterofermentative genus Limosilactobacillus. It is associated with active dental caries lesions. It is also commonly found in fermenting animal and plant material including sourdough and cocoa fermentation. A few strains are considered probiotic or "friendly" bacteria in animals and at least one strain has been applied to treat urogenital infections in women. Some strains of lactobacilli formerly mistakenly classified as L. fermentum have since been reclassified as Limosilactobacillus reuteri. Commercialized strains of L. fermentum used as probiotics include PCC, ME-3 and CECT5716

Helicobacter pylori eradication protocols is a standard name for all treatment protocols for peptic ulcers and gastritis in the presence of Helicobacter pylori infection. The primary goal of the treatment is not only temporary relief of symptoms but also total elimination of H. pylori infection. Patients with active duodenal or gastric ulcers and those with a prior ulcer history should be tested for H. pylori. Appropriate therapy should be given for eradication. Patients with MALT lymphoma should also be tested and treated for H. pylori since eradication of this infection can induce remission in many patients when the tumor is limited to the stomach. Several consensus conferences, including the Maastricht Consensus Report, recommend testing and treating several other groups of patients but there is limited evidence of benefit. This includes patients diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma, patients found to have atrophic gastritis or intestinal metaplasia, as well as first-degree relatives of patients with gastric adenocarcinoma since the relatives themselves are at increased risk of gastric cancer partly due to the intrafamilial transmission of H. pylori. To date, it remains controversial whether to test and treat all patients with functional dyspepsia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, or other non-GI disorders as well as asymptomatic individuals.

Probiotics are live microorganisms promoted with claims that they provide health benefits when consumed, generally by improving or restoring the gut flora. Probiotics are considered generally safe to consume, but may cause bacteria-host interactions and unwanted side effects in rare cases. There is little evidence that probiotics bring the health benefits claimed for them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reuterin</span> Chemical compound

Reuterin (3-hydroxypropionaldehyde) is the organic compound with the formula HOCH2CH2CHO. It is a bifunctional molecule, containing both a hydroxy and aldehyde functional groups.

Lactobacillus gasseri is a species in the genus Lactobacillus identified in 1980 by François Gasser and his associates.

Limosilactobacillus mucosae is a rod shaped species of lactic acid bacteria first isolated from pig intestines. It has mucus-binding activity. The species is an obligate anaerobe, catalase-negative, doesn't form spores and is non-motile. Its type strain is S32T, and has been found to be most closely related to Limosilactobacillus reuteri.

<i>Lactobacillus bulgaricus</i> GLB44 Subspecies of bacterium

Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus is a bacterial subspecies traditionally isolated from European yogurts. Lactobacillus bulgaricusGLB44 differs from other L. bulgaricus strains because it was isolated from the leaves of Galanthus nivalis in Bulgaria.

Bifidobacterium breve is a bacterial species of the genus Bifidobacterium which has probiotic properties. Bifidobacteria are a type of bacteria that live symbiotically in the intestines of humans. They have been used to treat a number of conditions including constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome and even the cold and flu. Some of these uses have been backed up by scientific research, but others have not. B. breve is a gram positive, anaerobic, rod shaped organism that is non motile and forms branches with its neighbors.

Postbiotics - also known as metabiotics, biogenics, or simply metabolites - are soluble factors, secreted by live bacteria, or released after bacterial lysis providing physiological benefits to the host.

Limosilactobacillus vaginalis is a lactic acid bacterium that is a normal, but infrequent part of the vaginal microbiome.

References

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