Efficacy of Lactobacillus GG in aboriginal children with acute diarrhoeal disease: a randomised clinical trial.
OBJECTIVE
The effectiveness of probiotic therapy for acute rotavirus infectious diarrhoea in an indigenous setting with bacterial/parasitic diarrhoea is unclear. In the present study, we assessed the efficacy of probiotics in Australian Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory admitted to hospital with diarrhoeal disease.


METHODS
A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled study was conducted in Aboriginal children (ages 4 months-2 years), admitted to hospital with acute diarrhoeal disease (>3 loose stools per day). Children received either oral Lactobacillus GG (5 x 10(9) colony-forming units 3 times per day for 3 days; n = 33) or placebo (n = 31). Small intestinal functional capacity was assessed by the noninvasive 13C-sucrose breath test on days 1 and 4.


RESULTS
Both groups showed mean improvement in the sucrose breath test after 4 days; however, there was no difference (mean, 95% confidence interval) between probiotic (2.9 [cumulative percentage of dose recovered at 90 minutes]; 1.7-4.2) and placebo (3.7; 2.3-5.2) groups. Probiotics did not change the duration of diarrhoea, total diarrhoea stools, or diarrhoea score compared with placebo. There was a significant (P < 0.05) difference in diarrhoea frequency on day 2 between probiotics (3.3 [loose stools]; 2.5-4.3) and placebo (4.7; 3.8-5.7) groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Lactobacillus GG did not appear to enhance short-term recovery following acute diarrhoeal illness in this setting.
Ritchie
Brett K
BK
Infectious Diseases Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia. brett.ritchie@imvs.sa.gov.au
Brewster
David R
DR
Tran
Cuong D
CD
Davidson
Geoffrey P
GP
McNeil
Yvette
Y
Butler
Ross N
RN
D000208:Acute Disease; D000930:Antidiarrheals / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001944:Breath Tests; D003672:Defecation / Q000187:drug effects; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000821:virology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000821:virology; D007778:Lactobacillus; D008297:Male; D019936:Probiotics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012401:Rotavirus
D000930:Antidiarrheals