Evaluation of the effect of a heat-killed lactic acid bacterium, Enterococcus faecalis 2001, on oral candidiasis

The effect of a preparation of heat-killed Gram-positive lactic acid bacteria Enterococcus faecalis 2001 (EF-2001) on oral candidiasis was evaluated by two studies. An in vitro study was performed to assess the inhibitory effect on mycelial growth of Candida strains isolated from a patient with oral candidiasis, and a clinical study was done in patients with oral candidiasis. In the in vitro study, EF-2001 inhibited mycelial growth of IT-1, a Candida strain isolated from a patient with oral candidiasis, at concentrations ≥2.34×109 cells/ml. An open clinical study was performed in 13 patients with oral candidiasis. The subjects took a powder containing 7.5×1011 heat-killed EF-2001 once a day before bedtime for seven consecutive days. In 11 of the 12 patients available for analysis (92%), the oral Candida load (cfu/swab) showed a significant decrease (P=0.01079, d=-0.437). There was a 55% decrease of Candida albicans and a 93.8% decrease of Candida glabrata. The following symptoms showed significant improvement: tinnitus (P=0.048, d=-0.462), cold feeling (P=0.048, d=-0.463), and depression (P=0.019, d=-0.34). In addition, 4 out of 26 oral symptoms tended to improve. These results suggest that EF-2001 significantly decreased the oral Candida load in patients with oral candidiasis by inhibiting mycelial growth and that EF-2001 is an effective treatment for oral candidiasis.