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Investigating the Effects of Probiotics on Pneumococcal Colonization Using an In Vitro Adherence Assay
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A randomized trial evaluating virus-specific effects of a combination probiotic in children with acute

Stephen B Freedman1, Jianling Xie2, Alberto Nettel-Aguirre2

  • 1Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation Professor in Child Health and Wellness, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 28 Oki Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T3B 6A8, Canada. Stephen.freedman@ahs.ca.

Nature Communications
|May 23, 2020
PubMed

Insights

This study found that probiotics containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus helveticus did not speed up diarrhea recovery in children with acute gastroenteritis. The findings suggest probiotics are not routinely recommended for young children with stomach infections.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Microbiology
  • Gastroenterology

Background:

  • Gastroenteritis causes significant childhood mortality globally.
  • Probiotics are often suggested to shorten diarrhea duration, but recent evidence is conflicting.
  • Changes in common gastroenteritis pathogens, possibly due to vaccination, may affect probiotic efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of a specific probiotic in treating acute gastroenteritis in children.
  • To determine if the probiotic reduces symptom duration or viral shedding.
  • To investigate potential virus-specific effects of the probiotic.

Main Methods:

  • A multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
  • 816 children with acute gastroenteritis were randomized to receive probiotics or placebo.
  • Clinical outcomes and viral nucleic acid in stool were monitored for 28 days.

Main Results:

  • No significant difference in clinical symptom resolution between probiotic and placebo groups.
  • The probiotic did not enhance viral nucleic acid clearance from stool.
  • No virus-specific benefits were observed.

Conclusions:

  • The studied probiotic (Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus helveticus) did not demonstrate efficacy in treating acute gastroenteritis in children.
  • Data do not support the routine use of this probiotic for pediatric gastroenteritis.
  • Further research may be needed to understand the evolving role of probiotics in pediatric infectious diseases.

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