ABSTRACT
Probiotics are friendly bacteria and provide various health attributes to the human host. All the lactic acid bacteria and few yeasts are recognized as probiotic cultures after passing through probiotic tests in vitro and in vivo. Fermented milk prepared with dietary lactobacilli, preserves gastrointestinal micro-ecology and has therefore been used to treat a number of disorders in GI tract. Live and physiologically active lactobacilli have also been identified to have immunomodulatory implications. Specified lactobacilli species play an impactful positive role in host defence mechanisms, which may include regulation of invasive bacterial translocation and the production of specific and non-specific immune responses, or the production of short chain fatty acids, antimicrobial compounds. Colonization of the gut by lactobacilli has consistently been shown to stimulate the immune system and increase the host’s resistance to infections. However, daily intake of probiotics in the form of tablets or through fermented foods may provide health benefits to the host by maintaing the native gut flora with good bacteria than bad bacteria and also provide the immunity to the human host.
