Database and Bioinformatics Studies of Probiotics.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Biotechnology
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• Probiotics are extensively studied for health, animal care, and agriculture.
• Advances in microbiome research drive interest in probiotic mechanisms and discovery.
• A centralized resource is needed for comprehensive probiotic information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a comprehensive database of known probiotics.
• To facilitate research on probiotic functions and mechanisms.
• To aid in the discovery of new probiotic microorganisms.

Main Methods:

• Compilation of data from marketed, clinical trial, and research probiotics.
• Database development for organizing and accessing probiotic information.
• Literature review to identify potential applications of the data.

Main Results:

• The PROBIO database contains information on 448 marketed, 167 clinical/field trial, and 382 research probiotics.
• Data covers probiotics for humans, animals, and plants.
• Demonstrated utility of the database in probing probiotic functions and discovering new probiotics.

Conclusions:

• PROBIO serves as a valuable resource for researchers in microbiology and related fields.
• The database supports the exploration of probiotic mechanisms and the identification of novel candidates.
• PROBIO is freely accessible to facilitate wider research efforts.