Detoxification of Environmental Chemicals With Probiotics.

Gregor REID and Brendan DAISLEY

Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University, London, Canada

Environmental pollutants, including heavy metals, pesticides, fertilizers and fungal toxins are responsible for morbidity and mortality of millions of people each year, especially children. Some of the world’s major waterways that provide food and drinking water are highly polluted. While bioremediation of toxins by microbes applied to soil and waste systems has a long history, the application to humans is more recent. This talk will explore the use of probiotic bacteria to degrade toxic compounds, bind to them and reduce their uptake into humans, and enhance host immunity and barrier function to decrease their toxicity. Examples of human studies on heavy metals and aflatoxins will be presented. 

In our efforts to feed 8 billion people, humans have resorted to using chemicals and antibiotics to improve yields in crops and livestock. Unfortunately, not only is this leading to major health issues and a pending inability to cure some infectious diseases, it is also reducing pollinators that are critical for a huge number of our crops. Using a Drosophila model of the honey bee, studies will be presented to show the benefits of probiotic bacteria in countering the impact of pesticides. In addition, studies showing how probiotic bacteria can replace or augment antibiotic efficacy in humans and animals will be presented.

There is no better time than the present to face up to the polluted imprint we are making on the planet. Harbouring beneficial microbes to offset this major health risk, is easily within our reach, if we so choose.