ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the clinical efficacy of Saccharomyces boulardii, including its mechanism of action, novel avenues in food, and future directions. S. boulardii is the most popular and widely studied probiotic yeast. Consequently, clinical antidotes against particular gastrointestinal disorders were determined for probiotics and prebiotic matrices. Helicobacter pylori is a highly prevalent, gram-negative, spiral-shaped pathogen associated with chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer, and it is a risk factor for gastric malignancies. Clostridium difficile is a gram-positive anaerobic bacterium and the major causative agent of colitis and diarrhea. Pathogenic varieties of E. coli such as enterotoxigenic E. coli, enterohemorrhagic E. coli, and enteropathogenic E. coli and other pathogens such as Vibrio cholerae are prime causative agents of diarrhea. Candida albicans is a systemic fungal pathogen that affects the gastrointestinal tract and is fast becoming drug resistant. Probiotics having high gut adhesion potential can compete for binding sites and are effective prophylactic measures for preventing pathogen colonization.
