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The Use of Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics as an Alternative to Antibiotics

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Alternatives to Antibiotics

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance stands up as one of the major healthcare concerns throughout the globe and is included in the top ten priorities of the World Health Organization (WHO). The evolution of antimicrobial resistance is linked with various factors, including the underuse/overuse/abuse of antibiotics in clinical cases. Also, antibiotics are an essential component of animal farming and poultry production and are considered one of the important contributors escalating antimicrobial resistance in the environment and foodborne pathogens. The global burden of bacterial infections is expected to increase drastically if a complete ban is employed on antibiotic uses and would create health havoc and substantial economic loss worldwide but its impact on developing and underdeveloped countries would be even heavy. Under these limiting and challenging conditions, probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotic offer one of the most sustainable and non-alarming alternatives for antibiotics. The probiotic species such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, etc. produce a variety of antimicrobial compounds/acids/bacteriocins that act on antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and limit their growth. In contrast, prebiotics such as inulin/oligosaccharides act directly in the intestine and help to enrich beneficial microorganisms. Synbiotics are the combinational use of probiotics and prebiotics to provide similar effects through the growth of healthy microflora. Besides controlling the growth of antimicrobial-resistant/multiresistant pathogens, these provide other immunomodulatory functions which would be even more beneficial to health. In this chapter, we will focus on why these probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics are considered as one of the most attractive alternatives for antibiotics, their uses in human health and livestock production, and the various mechanisms which are exploited by these agents that render these effects. We will elaborately explain the multiple methods used to evaluate a probable probiotic before it can be used. With specific examples of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics, we will understand the mechanism such as competitive inhibition, production of inhibitory acids/toxins/antioxidants, and host immune modulation.

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Abbreviations

CDC:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

FAO:

Food and Agriculture Organization

FDA:

Food and Drug Administration

FOS:

Fructooligosaccharides

MOS:

Mannan-oligosaccharides

SCFA:

Short-chain fatty acid

WHO:

World Health Organization

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  1. Center for infection and immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York City, NY, USA

    Amit Ranjan

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  1. Amit Ranjan
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  1. Immunology and Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of North Bengal, Siliguri, West Bengal, India

    Tilak Saha

  2. Department of Biotechnology, University of North Bengal, Siliguri, West Bengal, India

    Manab Deb Adhikari

  3. Department of Microbiology, North Bengal St. Xavier’s College, Rajganj, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, India

    Bipransh Kumar Tiwary

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Ranjan, A. (2022). The Use of Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics as an Alternative to Antibiotics. In: Saha, T., Deb Adhikari, M., Tiwary, B.K. (eds) Alternatives to Antibiotics. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-1854-4_18

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