Bacillus spp. Spores—A Promising Treatment Option for Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Abstract

Dysbiosis is a condition that can cause various clinical disorders, from gastrointestinal problems to allergies or even cancer. Resetting the microbiota using antibiotics and/or probiotics could be a possible therapy for many diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of three treatment regimens in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The regimens were short-term rifaximin treatment (10 days) followed by either a nutraceutical agent (G1) or a low- Fermentable, Oligo-, Di-, Monosaccharide and Polyol (FODMAP) diet (24 days) (G3) or treatment with MegaSporeBiotic a mixture of spores of five Bacillus spp. for medium-term (34 days) (G2). Ninety patients with IBS without constipation were enrolled and divided into three groups (G1, G2, G3). Patients in G1 and G3 were evaluated over four visits (baseline/first day (V1), 10 days (V2), 34 days (V3), 60 days (V4)), and, those in G2 over three visits (V1, V3, V4). Severity score, quality of life, and parameters from the rectal volume sensation test were determined. The results demonstrated that patients treated with MegaSporeBiotic, compared with those treated with rifaximin followed by nutraceutical or low-FODMAP diet, had similar severity scores and rectal volume sensation test results for all parameters tested and statistically significant improvement in measurements of quality of life.

Probiotic Bacillus Spores Protect Against Acetaminophen Induced Acute Liver Injury in Rats

“…They also have the ability to resist harsh gastric and intestinal conditions (bile acids, digestive enzymes, pH) [15]. Thus, spore-forming probiotic bacteria are considered a very good alternative solution to replace Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains, which have the disadvantage of low stability [16,17]. The aforementioned advantages of using Bacillus can explain recent efforts to open up new perspectives on the use of spore-based probiotics, which exhibit similar stability to other pharmaceutical drugs used for conventional treatment of many diseases [18].…”

Probiotics, Nutrition, and the Small Intestine

“…However, treatment with probiotic Bacillus spp. spores reportedly improved measurements of the quality of life of IBS patients, probably owing to modification of the gut microbiota [50]. As with SIBO, altered SI permeability is present in IBS, but only in the diarrhea-predominant subtype [51].…”

Mechanisms and Applications of Bacterial Sporulation and Germination in the Intestine

“…Patients given spore probiotics, as compared to placebo, more often reached clinical endpoint [ 177 ]. Administration of B. subtilis spores has also been shown to be as beneficial in Irritable Bowel Syndrome patients as a low FODMAP diet or antibiotics [ 178 ]. Similarly, Bacillus clausii spores were recently found to be an effective probiotic treatment for children with acute diarrhea [ 164 , 179 ].…”