Notes

 *= Word under the vocabulary list

Generic Information:

Saccharomyces* Boulardii is actually not a bacteria but a tropical strain of yeast*, or fungus. This yeast can be found the the tropical fruit lychee* and in the evergreen trees called Mangosteen*. it's located in the genus saccharomyyces, and is cousin to the saccharomyces cerevisiae, which can be used in fermentation of wine and beer. Henri Boulard discovered it when he grew curious as to why natives chewed off of lychee and mangosteen to help control cholera*. He separated the yeast and named it what is now called Saccharomyces Boulardii. It's non-pathogenic and non-sysemic and is classified as probiotic*. It remains in the gastrointesinal tract and grows at a high temperature of 37 degrees celcius. Saccharomyces Boulardii doesn't block your digestive system. Any member of the saccharomyces family has the ability to convert sugar into carbon dioxide and alcohol using enzymes. Saccharomyces boulardii is eukaryotic and reproduces by budding. It has two mating types like its other yeasts, a and alpha. Saccharomyces boulardii can either exist as a haploid* or diploid*. It is gram +. But actually Saccharomyces can be harmful! Research showed that an infection called S. Cervisiae fungemia's only apparent risk is having been treated with the Saccharomyces Boulardii.So be careful when using medication containing this yeast! Some side effeccts for this yeast hives, rash, itchy swollen skin, tightness in chest or throat, or breathing problems. S.Boulardii is unique because it can survive gastric acidity. It also releases polyamines which repair mucous membranes. Polyamines* increase activity in fatty acid chains and disaccharide enzymes.

 Henri Boulard, the man who discovered Saccharomyces Boulardii.

Use information:

Saccharomyces Boulardii is used in medicine to help maintain gut flora* in the intestines and cholera. It is also used in the medicine DiarSafe to help boost immunity and stopp diarhhoea. S. Boulardii can be used separate or in combination with other medicines that help with digestion. S. Boulardii is used to treat the certain diarrhea caused from etiologies*. It is especially useful when treating antibiotic-associated diarrhea, diarrhea associated with tube feeds, acute childhood diarrhea, and even diarrhea associated with HIV! It is also used for bowel infections, clostridium difficile infections, and traveller's diarrhea. It is usually distributed in a lyophilized powder and is in limited numbers in food addictives.

Location:

    Saccharomyces boulardii was originally discovered in mangosteen and lychee. It is now found in kefir. It is usually found in sourdough which isnt surprising. More than one yeast is needed for the sour effect that sourdough has. They live together in small colonies.

Probiotics itself:

   microorganisms similar to the ones found in the human gut. "friendly/good bacteria". Probiotics are a lot of times used in medicine. But there is still lots of back up research to support the use of probiotics. Some side effects of probiotics is bloating and gas, but the more serious affects are infections and unhealthy metabolic activities , too much stimulation of the immune system, and gene transfer. Probiotics can be found in foods such as yogurt, fermented and unfermented milk, miso, and tempeh. The use of probiotic supplements has tripled from 1994 to 2003.

Structural Information:

Being that S. Boulardii is a eukaryotic cell, it is a large cell containing many complex membranes and structures, such as organelles. It's cytoskeleton is made up of microtubules, microfilaments, and intermediate filaments. It has an endomembrane system containing vacuoles and vesicles, which form through budding off other membranes. There is the nucleus and the nucleus envelope, which are surrounded by the endoplasmic reticulum. This is where the ribosomes are attached. However, the fungal cell of a eukaryote, the cell wall has chitin* in it. Chitin is a long chained polymer of a N-acetylglucosamine*.