proteolytic bacteria

The claimed effect was bifidobacterial displacement of proteolytic bacteria causing the disease.

The mechanism claimed was that bifidobacteria would displace the proteolytic bacteria that cause the disease.

Treponema denticola is a motile and highly proteolytic bacterium.

Proteolytic bacteria such as clostridia, which are part of the normal intestinal flora, produce toxic substances including phenols, ammonia and indols by digestion of proteins.

It was at that time known that milk fermented with lactic-acid bacteria inhibits the growth of proteolytic bacteria because of the low pH produced by the fermentation of lactose.

Based on these data Metchnikoff proposed that consumption of fermented milk would seed the intestine with harmless lactic acid bacteria, which would increase intestinal acidity and thus suppress the growth of proteolytic bacteria.