A patient suffering from a prolonged illness and on an antibiotic regime is recommended intake of probiotics in his diet. These probiotics are supplements essentially comprising :

Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms that provide health benefits to the host when administered in adequate amounts [t6]. They are commonly recommended during or after antibiotic treatment because antibiotics often indiscriminately destroy beneficial gut bacteria, leading to dysbiosis [t4][t7]. Probiotics help restore this microbial balance [t7]. The most common microorganisms used in probiotic supplements are bacteria belonging to the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium [t1][t3]. Specifically, Lactobacillus species are well-known for fermenting sugars into lactic acid, a process essential for curd formation and maintaining gut health [c3][t7]. While some bacteria can produce vitamins, probiotics themselves are essentially supplements of live microbial cultures, primarily lactic acid bacteria, rather than being composed of proteins, vitamins, or electrolytes [t1][t5].

Sources

1. [1] Science ,Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: The Invisible Living World: Beyond Our Naked Eye > Table 2.4: Testing for curd formation using milk in different conditions > p. 22
2. [2] https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/probiotics-usefulness-and-safety
3. [3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590097824000090