Preliminary announcement for nutritional therapy with probiotic food Laktera, containing strains of Lactobacillus bulgaricus DWT1 and Streptococcus thermophilus DWT4 in patients with COVID-19
We established in vitro and in vivo efficacy of probiotic cocktail containing Lactobacillus bulgaricus DWT1 and Streptococcus thermophilus DWT4 of water origin. We showed that the probioic cocktail could polarize macrophages from M2 to M1 state. The study was done in collaboration with Prof. Palok Aich of National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), India. The results further revealed that the strains in the cocktail could control tumor growth
The Lecture of Prof. Palok Aich on the subject you can watch here.
Recently we applied a nutritional therapy with probiotic Laktera, containing the strains Lactobacillus bulgaricus DWT1 and Streptococcus thermophilus DWT4, to patients with COVID-19. The probiotic Laktera is produced by the Bulgarian company Daflorn Ltd and has a certificate by the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency for special purpose foods.
For the first time Laktera probiotic is used in patient of the University hospital, Pleven. The patient in questioned is a 56 year old man, treated for 30 days with pneumonia, resulting from COVID-19. Before that the patient has been in COVID ward for 33 days and then discharged with a negative PCR for COVID-19. A few days later, a rash appeared and the patient was admitted on 18.05.2020 again in severe general condition with generalized rash all over the body, including the feet and genitals. This is the first case of COVID-19 with such clinical picture and this type of rash described in Bulgaria. There are scientific data from Italian and English doctors who describe cases of COVID-19 with a similar type of rash. Most likely, this rash is due to damage of the endothelium and arterioles. Photo section 1 / 22.05.2020 are taken on May 22nd 2020 where the patient is treated with conventional therapy for COVID-19 without probiotic application. The rash affected not only the skin of the whole body, but also the mucosa, and there was an expressed oral necrosis. The patient was not able to eat.
Another 72 patients with positive PCR test for COVID-19 were admitted in the same University hospital in Bulgaria. In them, the clinical picture is manifested by respiratory failure, fever and radiographic evidence of pneumonia. Most of the patients have concomitant diseases – diabetes, obesity, arterial hypertension, metabolic syndrome, Hashimoto’s disease, etc. From the first day of hospitalization, all these patients received nutritional therapy with probiotic Laktera, containing strains Lactobacillus bulgaricus DWT1 and Streptococcus thermophilus DWT4, in a dose of 15 g twice a day in addition to the standard treatment for COVID-19. It is noteworthy that, unlike other patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, those taking the probiotic, clinically recover much more rapidly. On the third-fourth day of hospitalization, they are in good general condition, afebrile, without signs of respiratory failure and severely reduced cough. PCR tests for COVID-19 of these patients were negative and pneumonia was resorbed or in resorption on the 9-10th day of hospitalization. There were no deaths in patients with COVID-19 receiving nutritional therapy with Laktera probiotic. It is obvious from the performed immunological tests that most patients are admitted with high values of T-helper cells, low values of T-cytotoxic lymphocytes and low values of NK-cells. After taking the Laktera probiotic at a dose of 15 g twice a day T-helper cells are reduced. They produce cytokines and their reduction avoids a cytokine storm. T-cytotoxic lymphocytes and NK cells are increased and during the therapy with Laktera they have high levels. The results are presented in Chart 1.
Patients were also tested for immunoglobulins IgA, IgM,IgG and IgE and no abnormalities were observed.
Observation of patients continues after discharge from the hospital till now.
To date, none of the medical staff taking care of COVID patients got infected. The staff is taking Laktera at a dose of 15 g per day.
We have similar observations in over 20 families. One of the families consists of seven members – two small children and three members over 70 years old with concomitant diseases. Two of them over 70 years and a woman of 60 years are taking Laktera probiotic. Four members of the family are infected with COVID-19 and one woman over the age of 70 died. The other three who have been taking Laktera (two of them over the age of 70 and a woman of 60 years) at a dose of 15 g per day for several years, did not get sick from COVID-19, although they have a close contact with the other family members.
Clinical observations continue.
Our clinical research confirms the experimental in vitro and in vivo studies conducted by Prof. Palok Aich and the importance of Lactobacillus bulgaricus DWT1 and Streptococcus thermophilus DWT4 for repolarization of macrophages from M2 to M1 state and enhancing the innate immunity of the human body.
Clinical observations and immunological studies in patients with COVID-19 show that Laktera modulates cellular immunity by reducing T-helpers and by increasing T-cytotoxic lymphocytes and NK cells.
The Laktera probiotic, containing the strains Lactobacillus bulgaricus DWT1 and Streptococcus thermophilus DWT4 of water origin, is an effective nutritional therapy as part of a complex treatment regimen in patients with COVID-19.
Observations of the medical staff working in COVID and sorting wards, as well as of families, indicate that the immunomodulator Laktera can be used as a prevention in the fight against COVID-19.
Date: 16.12.2020, Sofia, Bulgaria
Ret. M. Gen. Prof. Nikola Alexandrov, MD, PhD, D. Sc.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Evgeniq Burzashka MD, PhD
Dr. Daniela Petrova MD Ph.D
Dr. Georgy Aleksandrov MDPh.D
Maria Peneva Ph. D
Chart 1 Cell immunity in COVID-19 patients, treated with Laktera nutritional therapy