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Updated: May 22, 2026
08:33
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction-based Analyses of Murine Intestinal Microbiota After Oral Antibiotic Treatment
Published on: November 17, 2018
Meta-analysis: probiotics in antibiotic-associated diarrhoea
1Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics
|April 26, 2012
Summary
Probiotics significantly reduce the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD). This meta-analysis confirms probiotics are effective in preventing AAD across various conditions and populations.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Microbiome Research
- Clinical Pharmacology
Background:
- Antibiotic administration is frequently associated with diarrhoea.
- Previous research and meta-analyses suggest probiotics can mitigate antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD).
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the risk reduction of AAD with probiotic use in placebo-controlled trials.
- To identify factors influencing the efficacy of probiotics in preventing AAD.
Main Methods:
- Meta-analysis of 34 randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trials involving 4138 patients.
- Data synthesis using meta-analysis and meta-regression to explore influencing factors like age, antibiotic duration, and risk of bias.
- Subgroup analyses examined effects of different probiotic species, patient populations, and indications.
Main Results:
- Probiotic administration showed a pooled relative risk (RR) of 0.53 (95% CI 0.44-0.63) for AAD, with a number needed to treat (NNT) of 8 (95% CI 7-11).
- The preventive effect was consistent across various probiotic species, age groups, antibiotic/probiotic durations, risk of bias, and administration methods.
- For Helicobacter pylori treatment, the pooled RR for AAD was 0.37 (95% CI 0.20-0.69), with an NNT of 5 (95% CI 4-10).
Conclusions:
- This updated meta-analysis reinforces previous findings on the preventive efficacy of probiotics against AAD.
- Probiotics represent a viable strategy for reducing the incidence of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea.
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