Use of probiotics in medical devices applied to some common pathologies.

Abstract

Probiotics, defined as “living microorganisms that, whether ingested in useful amount, may have beneficial effects on human body”, are widely used in various products for human use, such as dietary supplements, medical devices and pharmaceutical products. The European Directive on medical devices (MDs) (DDM 93/42), also includes those MDs containing live microorganisms, particularly probiotics, that may have various destinations of use, including that of assisting the therapy of several human pathologies. In this brief note we analyzed the use of probiotics in MDs and how probiotics administration could represent one of the new frontiers of scientific research on the prevention and treatment of various diseases. We’ll analyze the literature on probiotics based MDs, to review their major targets in the therapy of some of the most common human pathologies: bacterial vaginosis and vaginitis, atopic dermatitis, infant colic, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and pharyngotonsillitis.