title: Efficacy of Saccharomyces boulardii on necrotizing enterocolitis or sepsis in very low birth weight infants: a randomised controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Probiotics have strain specific effects and the effects of fungi in preventing diseases in preterm infants have been investigated poorly. Saccharomyces boulardii is a yeast which acts both as a probiotic and a polyamine producer.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of S. boulardii in preventing necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) or sepsis in very low birth weight infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective, double blind, placebo controlled trial was conducted in preterm infants (≤ 32 GWs, ≤ 1500 g birth weight). They were randomized either to receive feeding supplementation with S. boulardii 50 mg/kg every 12 h or placebo, starting with the first feed until discharged.
  
  
  METHODS
  Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) or sepsis and NEC or death.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Birth weight and gestational age of the study (n = 104) and the control (n = 104) groups were 1126 ± 232 vs 1162 ± 216 g and 28.8 ± 2.2 vs 28.7 ± 2.1 weeks, respectively. Neither the incidence of stage ≥ 2 NEC or death nor stage ≥ 2 NEC or late onset culture proven sepsis was significantly lower in the study group when compared with the control group (9.6% vs 7.7%, p = 0.62; 28.8% vs 23%, p = 0.34). Time to reach 100 mL/kg/day of enteral feeding (11.9 ± 7 vs 12.6 ± 7 days, p = 0.37) was not different between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Saccharomyces boulardii did not decrease the incidence of NEC or sepsis.
authors.affiliation: Zeynep Kamil Maternity and Children's Research and Training Hospital, Neonatology Unit, Istanbul, Turkey. Electronic address: ozge_serce@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Ozge
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Serce
authors.forename: Derya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Benzer
authors.forename: Tugba
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gursoy
authors.forename: Guner
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karatekin
authors.forename: Fahri
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ovali
mesh_terms: D004311:Double-Blind Method; D020345:Enterocolitis, Necrotizing / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000502:physiology*; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012440:Saccharomyces; D018805:Sepsis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014421:Turkey
keywords: Necrotizing enterocolitis; Probiotics; Saccharomyces boulardii; Sepsis; Very low birth weight