Microbes are often considered, rightly or wrongly, through the prism of the medical, social and psychological impacts of their pathogenic representatives. Yet microorganisms have always lived with human beings. The bacteria, for example, are the most widely represented living things on Earth (in the water, air, soil, etc.). Something else of which many people are unaware is that some bacteria are largely beneficial, even indispensable, for the survival of other living things on Earth! Let's take a closer look... From birth to death, human beings are literally colonized by microorganisms: 1014 bacteria (that's one hundred trillion bacteria) live in the digestive system. In other words, there are more bacteria in the body than the number of its own cells! 1011 bacteria (that's one hundred billion bacteria) per gram of content in the colon. The colon is the organ most colonized by commensal microorganisms, for it alone contains the equivalent of 0.8 to 1 kg of them! 109 bacteria (that's a billion bacteria) per milliliter of mucous in the vagina. 108 bacteria (that's one hundred million bacteria) per milliliter of saliva in the mouth. Up to 105 bacteria (that's ten thousand bacteria) per cm2 of skin. The concept of probiotics goes back to 1903, when studies by Professor Elie Metchnikoff - a disciple of Pasteur and a Nobel Prize winner (1908) - revealed the lactobacilli's beneficial effects in human beings. Metchnikoff found that lactic acid bacteria could prevent intestinal infections and improve digestion. However, it was not until recent decades that the notion of improving nutrition and health by adding beneficial bacteria to achieve the right microbial balance in the intestine was proven. Today, while this notion is universally accepted and recognized, the mechanisms of action and selection of the most effective bacterial strains are still subjects of much research around the world. THT is participating intensely in this work by continually improving and diversifying its line of pure cultures and other health products available to its clients.