I just thought I’d write up a post on the benefits of the probiotic formulation Enterogermina and briefly review the scientific literature available on the supplement. Enterogermina® (Bacillus clausii) is manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis, a French pharmaceutical company. Enterogermina is heat-stable and does not require refrigeration.

Enterogermina is the only formulation of B. clausii (1) that has been studied in controlled human clinical trials and is made up of four different strains (O/C84, N/R84, T84, SIN84) (2, 3). The designations of these bacterial strains are derived from their resistance to diverse antibiotics: O/C is resistant to chloramphenicol, N/R to novobiocin and rifampin, T to tetracycline, and SIN to neomycin and streptomycin (4).

These strains are resistant to acid and bile, germinate under conditions of limited oxygen availability (5) and can be recovered in stool for up to 12 days after a single administration (6). A systematic review evaluating the efficacy of the four aforementioned strains on acute childhood diarrhea concluded that Bacillus clausii significantly reduced the duration of diarrhea and the duration of hospitalization, compared to control (7).

Enterogermina reduces adverse effects and increases tolerability of Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy (8, 9) and alleviates allergic rhinitis in children in pilot studies (10-12). Enterogermina’s additional mechanisms of action include improvement of growth performance and immune response (13), diminishment of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (14), as well as antimicrobial and immuno-modulatory activities, such as stimulation of secretory IgA (sIgA) production (15).

Bacillus clausii strains were found to release antimicrobial substances which were active against Gram-positive bacteria, in particular against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecium, and Clostridium difficile. The antimicrobial activity of Bacillus clausii was resistant to subtilisin, proteinase K, and chymotrypsin treatment, whereas it was sensitive to pronase treatment (16). Additionally, Bacillus clausii O/C supernatant was found to reduce the cytotoxic effects of Clostridium difficile and Bacillus cereus toxins through the secreted alkaline serine M-protease (17).

Finally, Bacillus clausii (strains O/C, N/R, SIN, and T) permit growth of MS0057, a riboflavin-auxotrophic mutant of Bacillus cereus, indicating vitamin B2 production (18).

Did you find this post helpful! Feel free to show your appreciation with a tip!

