Manipulation of the Microbiota Using Probiotics

A number of diseases are associated with alterations in the composition of the microbiota of various niches of the human body. Although, in most cases, it is unclear if these alterations are the cause or the consequence of disease, they provide a rationale for therapeutic or prophylactic manipulation of a dysbiotic microbiota. Approaches to manipulate the microbiome include administration of either live bacteria, which are underrepresented in the diseased individual, substances that aim at increasing the populations of these bacteria, or a combination of the two. This chapter summarizes the available data in therapeutic manipulation of a various diseased states including irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, necrotizing enterocolitis, atopic and allergic diseases, and antibiotic-associated and infectious diarrhoea.