Author(s)
Stephen Bakos, MD, PhD
Jose Gurrola, MD
Spencer Payne, MD
Affiliation(s)
University of Virginia Health System
Abstract:
"Introduction:
While chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) likely represents a variety of inflammatory conditions, specific etiologies remain uncertain. Recent evidence, however, suggests that an alteration in the nasal bacterial flora composition, termed the microbiome, may be an underlying factor in a subset of CRS patients. Several studies have demonstrated a shift in the microbiome from normal bacteria, such as lactobacillus species, towards pro-inflammatory bacteria. Despite this, there has been a paucity of literature pursuing the potential repopulation of the sinonasal microbiome with probiotics. This study takes the initial step of investigating the viability of lactobacillus species in commercially available probiotics.
Methods
Commercially available probiotic preparations containing lactobacillus species were evaluated in both liquid and capsule form. The manufacturer recommended dose was mixed with 240mL of normal saline for 1 minute. Twenty microliters of the probiotic saline solutions were placed on de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) agar culture plates and incubated for 36 hours at 37 degrees centigrade in anaerobic and aerobic conditions. The colony forming units were calculated for each solution.
Results
The capsule probiotic preparation demonstrated bacterial colony growth in both anaerobic and aerobic environments with colony forming units per mL of 2.07x107 and 1.97x107, respectively. There was no observed bacterial growth in the control or liquid probiotic groups.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates the potential for commercially available probiotics capsules to be used in sinonasal saline irrigations. Future studies are necessary to determine if the intranasal application of probiotics could provide a therapeutic benefit for patients with CRS."