A randomized trial evaluating virus-specific effects of a combination probiotic in children with acute gastroenteritis.

ABSTRACT: Gastroenteritis accounts for nearly 500,000 deaths in children younger than 5 years annually. Although probiotics have been touted as having the potential to expedite diarrhea resolution, recent clinical trials question their effectiveness. A potential explanation is a shift in pathogens following the introduction of a rotavirus vaccine. Here, we report the results of a multi-center, double-blind trial of 816 children with acute gastroenteritis who completed follow-up and provided multiple stool specimens. Participants were randomized to receive a probiotic containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus helveticus or placebo. We report no virus-specific beneficial effects attributable to the probiotic, either in reducing clinical symptoms or viral nucleic acid clearance from stool sp

SUBMITTER: Freedman SB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7242434 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature