A bacterium becomes a medicinal product

The discovery and development of ­Mutaflor goes back to Professor Alfred Nissle (1874–1965) from Freiburg. During World War I, when searching for E. coli-bacteria with an antagonistic activity (growth inhibition) against ­intestinal pathogens, he isolated a special E. coli strain from the stool of a war participant. As opposed to most of his comrades, the latter had remained completely gut-healthy during the military campaign in the Balkans, contracting neither dysentery, typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever nor any other enteritides.

In honor of Professor Alfred Nissle, the strain bears the designation “Escherichia coli strain Nissle 1917”, ­abbreviated EcN.

Nowadays we apply the most modern processing methods to culture these bacteria. They are grown in fermenters and then carefully lyophilized. This keeps the ­microbes alive for several months when stored in a cold ­environment.

Mutaflor international package insert to download
Mutaflor Suspension international package insert to download