Discovery[ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lactobacillus_reuteri&action=edit&section=2" rel="nofollow - edit ]

Though the species Lactobacillus reuteri has been recognized for some time, knowledge of its probiotic properties did not come until much later.

As early as the turn of the 20th century, L. reuteri was recorded in scientific classifications of  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactic_acid_bacteria" rel="nofollow - lactic acid bacteria , ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_reuteri#cite_note-1" rel="nofollow - [1]}  though at this time it was mistakenly grouped as a member of Lactobacillus fermentum. In the 1960s, further work by German  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microbiology" rel="nofollow - microbiologist  Gerhard Reuter – for whom the species eventually would be named – began to distinguish L. reuteri from L. fermentum. Reuter reclassified the species as "Lactobacillus fermentum biotype II". ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_reuteri#cite_note-Reuter_1965-2" rel="nofollow - [2]}

L. reuteri was eventually identified as a distinct species in 1980 by Kandler et al. ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_reuteri#cite_note-3" rel="nofollow - [3]}  This group found significant differences between L. reuteri and other biotypes of L. fermentum, and thus proposed it be given formal species identity. They chose the species name "reuteri", after discoverer Gerhard Reuter, and L. reuteri has since been recognized as a separate species within the Lactobacillus  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genus" rel="nofollow - genus .

L. reuteri as a "universal" gut organism[ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lactobacillus_reuteri&action=edit&section=3" rel="nofollow - edit ]

In the early 1980s, shortly after its recognition as a distinct species, scientists began to find L. reuteri in many natural environments; it has been isolated from many foods, especially meat and milk products. ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_reuteri#cite_note-Reuter_1965-2" rel="nofollow - [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_reuteri#cite_note-4" rel="nofollow - [4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_reuteri#cite_note-5" rel="nofollow - [5]}

Interest in L. reuteri began to increase as scientists began to find it colonizing the  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intestine" rel="nofollow - intestines  of healthy animals. Gerhard Reuter first isolated L. reuteri from human fecal and intestinal samples in the 1960s, and this work was later repeated by other researchers. ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_reuteri#cite_note-6" rel="nofollow - [6]}  The same experiments – attempting to isolate L. reuteri from feces and intestine of healthy animals – were also done for nonhuman species, proving that L. reuteri seems to be present almost universally throughout the animal kingdom. For example, L. reuteri was discovered to be present naturally in the intestines of healthy  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheep" rel="nofollow - sheep ,  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickens" rel="nofollow - chickens , ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_reuteri#cite_note-7" rel="nofollow - [7]}   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig" rel="nofollow - pigs , ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_reuteri#cite_note-8" rel="nofollow - [8]}  and  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodent" rel="nofollow - rodents . ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_reuteri#cite_note-Molin_1992-9" rel="nofollow - [9]}

Furthermore, a study searching for 18 major species of gut flora, including  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_acidophilus" rel="nofollow - Lactobacillus acidophilus , in a variety of animals found L. reuteri was the only bacterium to constitute a "major component" of the Lactobacillus species present in the gut of each of the host animals tested. ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_reuteri#cite_note-10" rel="nofollow - [10]}  It is now well-established as one of the most ubiquitous members of the naturally occurring gut bacteria.

In a related discovery, each animal host seems to have a host-specific strain of L. reuteri, e.g. a rat strain for rats, a pig strain for pigs, etc. ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_reuteri#cite_note-Molin_1992-9" rel="nofollow - [9] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_reuteri#cite_note-11" rel="nofollow - [11]}  The universality of L. reuteri, in conjunction with this evolved host-specificity, has led scientists to make inferences about its importance in promoting the health of the host organism. ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_reuteri#cite_note-Dobrogosz_review-12" rel="nofollow - [12]}

I think Amazon carries a product:

http://www.amazon.com/BioGaia-liquid-L-Reuteri-probiotic-cultured/dp/B001TLPJPU/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1371771374&sr=1-1&keywords=Lactobacillus+Reuten" rel="nofollow - http://www.amazon.com/BioGaia-liquid-L-Reuteri-probiotic-cultured/dp/B001TLPJPU/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1371771374&sr=1-1&keywords=Lactobacillus+Reuten

http://www.seacoast.com/primadophilus-reuteri/nature-s-way/90-caps/p899" rel="nofollow - http://www.seacoast.com/primadophilus-reuteri/nature-s-way/90-caps/p899

Researchers identify key player in the genesis of human intestinal immunity

The trillions of harmful bacteria that populate the human gut represent a continuous threat to our health. Proper intestinal immune function creates a protective barrier between us and the extensive microbial ecosystem in our intestines. Now, researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have identified the structures that serve as the foundation for the development of the human intestinal immune system.

Specialized immune structures in the intestines, referred to as gut-associated lymphoid tissues, or GALT, are critical components of intestinal immune function. When viruses such as HIV or autoimmune disorders such as inflammatory bowel diseases damage the GALT, intestinal immune function is compromised. The millions of people suffering from such diseases would benefit from therapies that repair damaged GALT. Developing such strategies requires a fundamental understanding of human GALT development.

In mice, specialized aggregates of cells called cryptopatches are the site of GALT development. The presence of similar cell aggregates in human intestines has been controversial. The researchers used humanized mice to demonstrate that cryptopatches serve as the foundation for human GALT formation.

To make this discovery, the researchers bioengineered human immune systems into two very closely related mouse strains that differed only in their ability to develop cryptopatches. Human GALT structures only developed when cryptopatches were present. In mice where human GALT developed, additional studies revealed that the human GALT facilitated intestinal immune function, including the production of antibodies specifically found in the human gut.

“Our model defines a novel aspect of human GALT development and demonstrates the stepwise process of the intestinal immune system response,” said Paul Denton, PhD, research instructor at UNC and an author of the study. “We found evidence that cryptopatches likely work the same way in people and mice.”

The study confirms the faithful nature by which the human immune system in these human-mouse chimeric animals recapitulates a normal human immune system.

“This represents a significant advance that will facilitate the study of numerous conditions that affect the gastrointestinal tract,” said J. Victor Garcia, PhD, professor of medicine and senior author of the study. “The next step,” Garcia said, “is to utilize this model to test regenerative therapies to repair damaged human GALT.”

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health. The article appears in the June 20 issue of the open access journal Cell Reports.

http://www.breakthroughdigest.com/medical-news/researchers-identify-key-player-in-the-genesis-of-human-intestinal-immunity/" rel="nofollow - http://www.breakthroughdigest.com/medical-news/researchers-identify-key-player-in-the-genesis-of-human-intestinal-immunity/