Lactobacillus probiotic formulation supports digestive health during antibiotic treatment, says recent study
In a recent study, researchers found that when co-administered with antibiotics, the probiotic formulation Bio-K Plus from Kerry helped reduced the risk of Clostridioides difficile infection.
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In a recent study published in the medical journal Clinical Infectious Diseases1, researchers found that when co-administered with antibiotics, the probiotic formulation Bio-K Plus from Kerry helped reduced the risk of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). Antibiotic are a mainstay of hospital medicine, but unfortunately antibiotics can alter a patient’s microbiota. Taking multiple antibiotics can increase the risk of CID infection, which can manifest in disabling diarhea, and even be life threatening.
According to the study, Bio-K Plus, a three-strain probiotic formula containing L. acidophilus CL1285, L. caseiLBC80R, and L. rhamnosus CLR2, is administered to all adult inpatients taking antibiotics at the Pierre-Le Gardeur Hospital, in a suburb of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. When the hospital merged administratively with the Centre Hospitalier Régional de Lanaudière, a 335-bed community hospital with endemic CDI, new infection prevention practices were instituted, including the administration of probiotics with antibiotic treatments.
Compared to the 12-month observation period, when no probiotics were administered during antibiotic treatment, the incidence of CDI was significantly lower when antibiotic treatments were combined with the probiotic. Investigators observed a 39% reduction in hospital-wide CDI cases over the 18-month intervention period. Additionally, the reduction of CDI was greater than 50% in patients that received multiple antibiotics.
“Our new clinical study is an addition to the many clinical studies performed in various North American hospitals over the past two decades. By combining medical grade probiotic formulations with standard preventative measures, it is possible to further reduce the incidence of C. difficile infections”, says Mathieu Millette, PhD, scientific director of Bio-K Plus, in a press release.
Reference
- Maziade PJ et al. “Enhanced Clostridioides difficile infection prevention with a pharmacy-controlled policy that adds a 3-strain lactobacillus probiotic concomitantly to antibiotic therapy.” Clinical Infectious Diseases, Published online ahead of print on May 9, 2021
