Bifidobacterial biofilms as next-generation probiotics and their role in intestinal microbiocenosis

Many consider the gut microbiota an organ of the human body; although the view is controversial, its effect on overall human health cannot be denied. The mucosal gut bacteria are physiologically distinct from those inhabiting the gut lumen or fecal material. They have a central role in regulating the intestinal mucosal barrier properties, protecting against intestinal inflammation. The human gut-associated bifidobacteria can form robust biofilms that can form distinct microcolonies with colonization patterns unique to a species or across several species. The species-specific spatial distribution hints at an undeciphered fitness advantage in the host gut milieu. The antipathogenicity of indigenous Bifidobacterium strains represents a promising therapeutic strategy against pathogenic biofilms that resists existing medical therapies. Harnessing their biofilm phenotype constitutes a central premise of the fourth-generation probiotics, which can better benefit the human gut. The beneficial bacteria could be harnessed to fight infectious diseases in developing countries such as Pakistan, plagued by food insecurity. This evidence prima facie suggests that further studies are needed to test the in vivo potential of these probiotic candidates as live-biotherapeutic agents.