Enterococcus faecium; a Suitable Probiotic Candidate for Modulation of Immune Responses Against Pathogens

Probiotics are a set of nonpathogenic microorganisms without virulence which inhibit pathogen growth in animals. Enterococcus faecium has been introduced as a probiotic and its probiotic characteristics have been evaluated in several investigations. Evidence suggests that probiotics may modulate the immune system of the host to improve responses against pathogens. Thus, this review aimed to present recent studies regarding the effects of the E. faecium probiotic strain on the host immune responses. It seems that E. faecium AL41, CGMCC, NCIMB, SF68, Strain 26, JWS 833 and EF55 strains improve beneficially the immune responses of the host. However, most studies have been performed on animal models, therefore, clinical trials on humans are required to understand the beneficial mechanisms of E. faecium on the human immune system. Keywords: Probiotics, Enterococcus faecium, Immune responses