The Story of Streptococcus salivarius K12
Professor John Tagg, is Professor of Microbiology at Otago University in New Zealand's South Island. He studies and researches probiotic bacteria suitable to work in the mouth. His driving force was due to an attack of rheumatic fever he suffered in childhood, and the consequent ongoing use of antibiotics he was forced to take. You may not realise that rheumatic fever is the result of someone (usually a child) coughing on another person and transmitting a sore throat bacteria called Streptococcus Pyogenes. This Step bacteria colonises the throat and releases toxins that can spread to the heart and cause heart damage (commonly called Rheumatic fever). There is also a theory that the toxins can spread to the brain and develop into Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Professor Tagg has spent his life's work looking for a probiotic that would prevent other children catching Streptococcus Pyogenes. He knew that such a probiotic must be able to defend itself against other mouth bacteria, and also must be a normal inhabitant of the mouth.

To find such a bacteria, Professor Tagg followed Dunedin schoolchildren through many years, analysing their saliva samples looking for differences. He was particularly interested in one child that never appeared to become ill in all those years of study. What Professor Tagg found in this child's saliva was actually quite amazing. This healthy child had a particular bacteria that became known as Streptococcus salivarius K12. Other schoolchildren that normally got sick either did not have Streptococcus salivarius at all, or they had a normal derivative of the bacteria that was in everyone else's mouth flora.

Research of the medical journals found that Streptococcus salivarius K12 could be found in 2% of the population, and that these lucky people rarely became ill or suffered from other mouth ailments such as bad breath (halitosis). The study of the mechanism of how this bacteria was different then began in earnest.

What Professor Tagg found was that S.salivarius K12 was able to make two defence peptides (called BLIS - Bacteriocin Like Inhibitory Substance) that the probiotic fired at encroaching invading bacteria. The probiotic recognised the closeness of these invading bacteria by sensing the voltage change along the cell wall of the invading bacteria. The BLIS peptide was fired at the invader, and the peptide punctured a hole in the cell wall allowing vital nutrients to leak out of the invading bacteria, thus causing its death. Thus S.salivarius K12 was able to maintain the status quo in mouth health, by controlling many opportunistic bacteria.

Although this probiotic is effective against many bacteria including Streptococcus Pyogenes it is not a magic pill. The probiotic needs to be placed in a healthy mouth with a suitable mouth environment in order to colonise the tongue surface. The probiotic BLIS K12, cannot survive in an acid environment, and therefore would not be able to colonise in a mouth high in acid, or lacking oxygen (as found in smokers and alcohol drinkers).

Professor Tagg informed Otago University about his amazing discovery. The university then formed a joint venture with private New Zealand entrepreneurs. The newly formed company was called BLIS Technologies and listed on the New Zealand stock exchange in 2001. BLIS Technologies continued to develop the efficiency of Streptococcus salivarius K12 as a dietary substance to aid in the prevention of sore throats, and as a replacement probiotic after finishing a course of Antibiotics.

In 2004 BLIS Technologies enlisted the help of Dr Speiser's Australian Breath Clinic to commercialise K12 as a novel Bad Breath Treatment. Since 2004 thousands of patients world wide have been able to enjoy the benefits of this unique probiotic treatment.

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