ABSTRACT
The study of biofilm function in vivo in various niches of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is rather limited. It is more frequently used in in vitro approaches, as an alternative to the studies focused on formation mechanisms and function of biofilms, which do not represent the actual in vivo complexity of microbial structures. Additionally, in vitro tests can sometimes lead to unreliable results. The goal of this study was to develop a simple approach to detect bacterial populations, particularly Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium in biofilms, in vivo by the fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) method. We standardised a new Histo-FISH method based on specific fluorochrome labelling probes which are able to detect Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. within biofilms on the mucosal surface of the GIT embedded in paraffin in histological slices. This method is also suitable for visualisation of bacterial populations in the GIT internal content. Depending on the labelling probes, the Histo-FISH method has the potential to detect other probiotic strains or pathogenic bacteria. This original approach permits us to analyse bacterial colonisation processes as well as biofilm formation in stomach and caecum of BALB/c and germ-free mice.
Subject(s)
Bifidobacterium/physiology , Biofilms/growth & development , Histocytochemistry/methods , In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence/methods , Intestinal Mucosa/microbiology , Lactobacillus/physiology , Animals , Bifidobacterium/genetics , Bifidobacterium/growth & development , Germ-Free Life , Lactobacillus/genetics , Lactobacillus/growth & development , Mice, Inbred BALB CABSTRACT
In present-day drug therapy, the level of therapeutic compliance is a marked professional problem. Its consequences are a challenge for providers of health care and a concern for pharmacists as subjects working in immediate contact with the general public of patients. The present paper reports an evaluation of the level of compliance and analyses its components. It draws attention to the fact that an insufficient level of compliance considerably contributes to the losses in medical care in every therapeutic area. It also discusses pharmaceutical connections of therapeutic compliance as well as pharmaceutical possibilities of increasing its level.
