“Our discovery explain how the gut-resident Lactobacillus influences mood disorders by adjusting the immune system,” the researchers from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, USA, stressed.

They argued that the intestines harbor countless bacteria, fungi and viruses, and their interactions are constant, which is positive for the health of the immune system, mental health and other forms of well-being.

The experts used in their research a collection of bacteria, known as altered Schaedler Flora, which includes two strains of Lactobacillus and six others.

They were thus able to explain how lactobacilli influence a person’s behavior, and how it worsens in their absence.

They argued “that lactobacilli of the Lactobaccillacea family maintain the levels of an immune mediator called interferon gamma, which regulates the body’s response to stress and helps to avoid depression”.

The study – according to the source – will allow the development of new ways to prevent and treat depression and other mental disorders in which Lactobacillus plays an important role.

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