Safety ofLactobacillusStrains Used as Probiotic Agents

Abstract

SIR—We read with interest the excellent review of the role of probiotic agents in infectious diseases [1], as well as the accompanying editorial commentary [2]. Both reports suggest that lactobacilli used as probiotic agents are safe because, as Drs. Salminen and Arvilommi state in their editorial, “Lactic acid bacteria have a long history of safe use in foods….Therefore, the safety risk, if any, appears to be small” [2, p. 1578]. Drs. Alvarez-Olmos and Oberhelman, in their review [1], state that “some cases of sepsis or endocarditis caused by lactobacilli were reported in immunosuppressed patients…but none of these infections were related to lactobacilli used in probiotic food products” [1, p. 1571]. Here we present some concerns regarding the safety of lactobacilli used as probiotic agents.