ABSTRACT Modern lifestyle, stress and exposure to environmental toxins (Chemical fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides) have imposed a serious threat on our immune system making us susceptible to chronic diseases. Humans have since long shielded themselves against these pathogenic microbes by employing antibiotics. The indiscriminate use of these precious antidotes has led to a dynamic shift in the evolution of microbes leading to the formation of MDR, super bugs, epidemic viruses (H1N1, HIV), etc which have themselves become a threat for the existence of Homo sapiens on mother Earth. All these factors have forced scientists around the globe to search for a sustainable approach against these virulent microbes. Ecological interactions between these microbes have opened a new ray of hope in the form of probiotics. These include live microbes (genus Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus etc.) which exert a positive impact on human health if consumed in adequate amount. These microorganisms are normally established in the gastrointestinal tract of healthy humans. A person becomes vulnerable to diseases only when the amount of these beneficiary microbes decreases making the body prone to pathogenic infection. Probiotic microbes overcome or kill pathogenic ones in the intestine eradicating the cause of infection and toxins. These also enhance the digestion, and acts as a defense wall providing obstacle in the entry of pathogenic microbes competing them for both food and space. During antibiotic treatment the intestinal flora and fauna are shattered which could be replenished through probiotic microbes thus minimizing the chances of re-infection. The use of probiotics could not only provide us safety and security against the pathogens but could also act as a stepping stone in combating the development of antibiotic resistance against pandemic infections.
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