probiotics in infectious diarrhoea in children

Last reviewed 01/2018

• probiotics are products containing viable micro-organisms taken with the intention of altering the person's intestinal microflora in an attempt to improve health or treat disease
  • they can include one or more species of bacteria
    • most commonly Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species (both part of normal human intestinal flora) or, less commonly, yeasts such as Saccharomyces species
  • possible mechanisms for beneficial effects include modulating the activity of immune cells in the intestinal mucosa and submucosa; and displacing, or suppressing the growth of, enteric pathogens in the gastrointestinal tract by competing for nutrients or binding sites, or producing antimicrobial chemicals
  • note that there have been a few reports of severe infections arising from probiotic ingestion (usually in debilitated or immunosuppressed patients)
• evidence suggests that probiotics can reduce the duration of acute infectious diarrhoea in children by almost a day (1)
  • more studies are required to define which specific strains and doses of probiotics are most effective for children with acute diarrhoea, and to assess the place of probiotic therapy for acute infectious diarrhoea in adults

Reference:

1. Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (2004); 42(11):85-8.