The microbiome shift seen in CFS can result in prior health issue becoming active. Candida issues as well as EBV, CMV and other virus may be come active. The unfortunate side effect is that these infections often reinforce the microbiome dysfunction making CFS even harder to treat. In my prior posts on Valganciclovir and Valacyclovir, we looked at antivirals.

A reader contacted me because of severe issues with candida and asked about probiotics that could help. The following is what I found:

• “The sparsity of currently available antifungals and the plethora of proposed anti-candidal therapies is a distinct indication of the urgent necessity to develop efficacious therapies for candidal infections. Alternative drug delivery approaches, such as probiotics, reviewed here is likely to be a reality in clinical settings in the not too distant future.” [2016]
• ” prevalence of Candida species was 69.2% in children with decayed teeth and 5% in caries-free subjects.” [2016] – dental health is essential!!
• Increased number of Candida albicans in the faecal microflora of chronic fatigue syndrome patients during the acute phase of illness.[2007]
•  Yeast metabolic products, yeast antigens and yeasts as possible triggers for irritable bowel syndrome[2005].
  • “The change in mean log₁₀ colony-forming unit (CFU)/ ml of C. albicans in
    • A) probiotics was 0.43 ± 0.72,
    • B) 0.2% chlorhexidine digluconate oral rinse. 0.68 ± 1.05 and
    •  C) herbal oral rinse(neem etc) 0.22 ± 0.66 CFU/ml respectively.”
    • 
• Inhibitory effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus casei on Candida biofilm of denture surface[2016].
  • “The results suggest that Lact. rhamnosus is able to influence the expression of virulence factors by C. albicans and can alter its antifungal sensitivity profile.” [2016]
• “All Lactobacillus fermentum strains tested, namely LF5, LF09, LF10, and LF11, have the ability to significantly inhibit the growth of the five species of Candida of at least 4 logarithms (10000x). Furthermore, the best result obtained with miconazole on C. parapsilosis is still 2 logarithms lower.(100)” [2016] See this post about this very special probiotic type.
  • “Furthermore, L. fermentum LF5 showed a significant activity after both 24 and 48 hours ….A significant dose-dependent growth inhibition was recorded in particular after 48 hours of incubation [of L. Fermentum], even achieving a 80% inhibition of G. vaginalis growth.” [2016]
• “Bacillus subtilis exhibited clear zones of inhibition for Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis but not for Candida krusei.” [2016]
• “Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (DSM 10140) and Lactobacillus spp. (Lactobacillus casei R-215 and Lactobacillus acidophilus R-52)..were only affected by TTO concentration ≥ 4% v/v, while, at concentrations < 2% v/v, they remained viable.” [2015] – i.e. high dosages are required.
• “Thus, daily use of probiotic lozenges(Lactobacillus reuteri (DSM 17938 and ATCC PTA 5289) may reduce the prevalence of high oral Candida counts in frail elderly nursing homes residents” [2015]

Bottom Line

Lactobacillus Fermentum inhibits by a logarithm 4 fold while the tested alternative best was just 0.68 — very minor in comparison. I would suggest taking Bacillus subtilis with it — while not effective against all species, it is effective against many. Both of these are available in the US.

As always consult with your knowledgable medical professional first.