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Diversity of Intestinal Bifidobacteria in Patients with Japanese Cedar Pollinosis and Possible Influence of Probiotic Intervention

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Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the potential association between intestinal bifidobacteria and Japanese cedar pollinosis (JCPsis) and possible influences of probiotic intervention. In this study, fecal samples were the collected from 29 JCPsis patients. The qualitative and quantitative analyses of fecal bifidobacteria were conducted by quantitative real-time PCR with 16S rRNA-gene-targeted species-specific primers before cedar pollen spread and after a 10-week intervention with fermented milk prepared with Lactobacillus GG and L. gasseri TMC0356 during pollen spread. Each JCPsis patient had a unique diversity of bifidobacteria, which varied qualitatively and quantitatively in an individual-dependent manner during pollen spread. The serum IgE concentration of JCPsis patients with more than 3 detectable Bifidobacterium species was significantly lower than that of patients with less than 2 detected species. The prevalence of B. adolescentis, B. longum, and B. catenulatum increased after probiotic intervention, although the changes were not statistically significant. These results suggest that lower diversity of intestinal Bifidobacterium species might be a pathological aspect of JCPsis. The diversity of intestinal bifidobacteria could be a prospective target for using probiotics in the management of IgE-mediated allergic disorders including JCPsis.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by Grant-in-Aid for Research and Development from the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Technical Research Laboratory, Takanashi Milk Products Co., Ltd, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 241-0023, Japan

    Akira Kubota, Fang He, Manabu Kawase, Gaku Harata & Masaru Hiramatsu

  2. Graduate School, Science for Living System, Showa Women’s University, 1-7 Taishido, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 154-8533, Japan

    Hisakazu Iino

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  1. Akira Kubota
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  2. Fang He
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  3. Manabu Kawase
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  4. Gaku Harata
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  5. Masaru Hiramatsu
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  6. Hisakazu Iino
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Correspondence to Fang He.

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Kubota, A., He, F., Kawase, M. et al. Diversity of Intestinal Bifidobacteria in Patients with Japanese Cedar Pollinosis and Possible Influence of Probiotic Intervention. Curr Microbiol 62, 71–77 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-010-9667-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-010-9667-5

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