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Supplementation with L. reuteri decreased episodes, duration of diarrhea, respiratory tract infections
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Daily supplementation with Lactobacillus reuteri in healthy children attending day care centers reduced episodes and duration of diarrhea and respiratory tract infections, according to recent study findings published in Pediatrics.
Pedro Gutierrez-Castrellon, MD, MSc, DSc, of the National Perinatology Institute in Mexico City, and colleagues evaluated healthy children aged 6 to 36 months between April 2011 and June 2012 who were randomized to receive either L. reuteri (n=168) or placebo (n=168) to determine if daily administration with L. reuteri reduced the frequency and duration of diarrheal episodes and other health outcomes.
Pedro Gutierrez-Castrellon
During the intervention period, the number of days with diarrhea was reduced by L. reuteri supplementation from 0.96 to 0.32 and from 1.1 to 0.5 during follow-up. Ninety-nine episodes of diarrhea were reported in the L. reuteri group during the combined intervention and follow-up period compared with 152 episodes in the placebo group.
Days with respiratory tract infections were also reduced in the L. reuteri group from 4.6 to 1.5 during the intervention period and from 4.4 to 2.1 during the follow-up period.
In the L. reuteri group, days missed from school and days of antibiotic use were reduced during both the intervention and follow-up periods.
For each case of diarrhea, L. reuteri was associated with a reduction of $36 US dollars and $37 US dollars for each case of respiratory tract infection.
“Daily administration of L. reuteri reduces the risk of gastrointestinal and respiratory infections in preschoolars and also reduce the duration of the episodes once they arise,” Gutierrez-Castrellon told Infectious Diseases in Children. “The concomitant reduction in the number of days with antibiotics and school and work absenteeism confer additional benefits to this preventive strategy from the point of view of cost-effectiveness.” — by Amber Cox
Disclosure: The study was funded in part by BioGaia AB, Stockholm, Sweden. The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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