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Daily use of L. rhamnosus may reduce odds of S. aureus carriage in stool samples
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Daily use of the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 reduced the odds of Staphylococcus aureus carriage in stool samples of VA patients with initial extra-gastrointestinal colonization but did not have the same effect in samples from other sites on the body, researchers said.
Shoshannah Eggers, a PhD candidate at the University of Wisconsin, presented study data on the use of L. rhamnosus as a decolonization strategy for S. aureus at the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America spring conference in St. Louis.
Previous research has shown that a growing number of hospital patients are being treated with probiotics despite a lack of evidence supporting their use. According to Eggers and colleagues, probiotics represent a promising alternative to antibiotics for S. aureus decolonization.
For their randomized, placebo-controlled study of L. rhamnosus HN001, they recruited patients from a VA hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, and randomized them by initial site of S. aureus colonization — in their gastrointestinal (GI) tract or outside it — to receive either daily oral capsules of the probiotic or placebo for 28 days.
According to Eggers and colleagues, in their trial of more than 100 subjects, most participants were men in their mid-60s.
The researchers used nasal, oropharyngeal, and axillary swabs, and fecal samples to test for S. aureus carriage. According to their results, carriage of S. aureus was significantly lower in the stool samples of those in the probiotic group than that in the placebo group, especially in those originally colonized outside the GI tract.
Eggers and colleagues observed no such decrease in samples taken from other sites on the body and said more studies using different strains of probiotic are needed to determine their usefulness in S. aureus decolonization. – by Gerard Gallagher
Reference:
Eggers S, et al. Effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 on carriage of Staphylococcus aureus: results of IMPROVE. Presented at: Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) spring conference; March 29-31, 2017; St. Louis.
Disclosure: The probiotics used in this trial were supplied by DuPont Nutrition and Health. Eggers reports that her spouse is employed by DuPont; however, both parties started their employment after this trial had begun. The researchers said the association had no effect on the results or interpretation of this trial.