Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Aug;129(2):175-185.
doi: 10.1111/jam.14511. Epub 2019 Nov 21.

Action mechanisms of probiotics on Candida spp. and candidiasis prevention: an update

F C Ribeiro  1 , R D Rossoni  1 , P P de Barros  1 , J D Santos  1 , L R O Fugisaki  1 , M P V Leão  2 , J C Junqueira  1
Affiliations
Review

Action mechanisms of probiotics on Candida spp. and candidiasis prevention: an update

F C Ribeiro et al. J Appl Microbiol. 2020 Aug.

Abstract

Due to the high incidence of fungal infections caused by Candida species and their increasing resistance to antimicrobial treatments, alternative therapies such as probiotics have been studied. It has been show that several species of the genus Lactobacillus have anti-Candida activity, probably by direct inhibition, through competition for adhesion sites or production of secondary metabolites, and by indirect inhibition, through stimulation of the immune system of their host. However, the mechanisms of inhibition of these probiotics on Candida species have not yet been fully elucidated since this effect is related to more than one inhibition pathway. In the literature, several in vitro and in vivo studies have been developed seeking to elucidate the probiotics mechanisms of action. These studies have been focused on C. albicans inhibition assays, including analysis of antimicrobial activity, adherence capacity, biofilms formation, filamentation and interference on virulence genes, as well as assays of experimental candidiasis in invertebrate and vertebrate models. In this context, the purpose of this review was to gather different studies focused on the action mechanism of probiotic strains on Candida sp. and to discuss their impact on the candidiasis prevention.

Keywords: fungi; lactobacillus; pathogenesis; probiotic; yeasts.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Aarti, C., Khusro, A., Varghese, R., Arasu, M.V., Agastian, P., Al-Dhabi, N.A., Ilavenil, S. and Choi, K.C. (2018) In vitro investigation on probiotic, anti-Candida, and antibiofilm properties of Lactobacillus pentosus strain LAP1. Arch Oral Biol 89, 99-106.
    1. Abrantes, P.M., McArthur, C.P. and Africa, C.W. (2014) Multi-drug resistant oral Candida species isolated from HIV-positive patients in South Africa and Cameroon. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 79, 222-227.
    1. Aniebue, U.U., Nwankwo, T.O. and Nwafor, M.I. (2018) Vulvovaginal candidiasis in reproductive age women in Enugu Nigeria, clinical versus laboratory-assisted diagnosis. Niger J Clin Pract 21, 1017-1022.
    1. Araujo, D., Henriques, M. and Silva, S. (2017) Portrait of Candida species biofilm regulatory network genes. Trends Microbiol 25, 62-75.
    1. Arvanitis, M., Glavis-Bloom, J. and Mylonakis, E. (2013) Invertebrate models of fungal infection. Biochim Biophys Acta 1832, 1378-1383.

Substances