title: Effectiveness of probiotic therapy for the prevention of relapse in patients with inactive ulcerative colitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effectiveness of probiotic therapy for suppressing relapse in patients with inactive ulcerative colitis (UC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Bio-Three tablets, each containing 2 mg of lactomin (Streptococcus faecalis T-110), 10 mg of Clostridium butyricum TO-A, and 10 mg of Bacillus mesentericus TO-A, were used as probiotic therapy. Sixty outpatients with UC in remission were randomly assigned to receive 9 Bio-Three tablets/day (Bio-Three group) or 9 placebo tablets/day (placebo group) for 12 mo in addition to their ongoing medications. Clinical symptoms were evaluated monthly or on the exacerbation of symptoms or need for additional medication. Fecal samples were collected to analyze bacterial DNA at baseline and 3-mo intervals. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and cluster analyses were done to examine bacterial components of the fecal microflora.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-six patients, 23 in each group, completed the study, and 14 were excluded. The relapse rates in the Bio-Three and placebo groups were respectively 0.0% vs 17.4% at 3 mo (P = 0.036), 8.7% vs 26.1% at 6 mo (P = 0.119), and 21.7% vs 34.8% (P = 0.326) at 9 mo. At 12 mo, the remission rate was 69.5% in the Bio-Three group and 56.6% in the placebo group (P = 0.248). On cluster analysis of fecal flora, 7 patients belonged to cluster I, 32 to cluster II, and 7 to cluster III.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Probiotics may be effective for maintaining clinical remission in patients with quiescent UC, especially those who belong to cluster I on fecal bacterial analysis.
authors.affiliation: Yasushi Yoshimatsu, Akihiro Yamada, Ryuichi Furukawa, Koji Sono, Aisaku Osamura, Kentaro Nakamura, Hiroshi Aoki, Yukiko Tsuda, Nobuo Hosoe, Nobuo Takada, Yasuo Suzuki, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Toho University Sakura Medical Center, Chiba 285-8741, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshimatsu
authors.affiliation: Yasushi Yoshimatsu, Akihiro Yamada, Ryuichi Furukawa, Koji Sono, Aisaku Osamura, Kentaro Nakamura, Hiroshi Aoki, Yukiko Tsuda, Nobuo Hosoe, Nobuo Takada, Yasuo Suzuki, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Toho University Sakura Medical Center, Chiba 285-8741, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.affiliation: Yasushi Yoshimatsu, Akihiro Yamada, Ryuichi Furukawa, Koji Sono, Aisaku Osamura, Kentaro Nakamura, Hiroshi Aoki, Yukiko Tsuda, Nobuo Hosoe, Nobuo Takada, Yasuo Suzuki, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Toho University Sakura Medical Center, Chiba 285-8741, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryuichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Furukawa
authors.affiliation: Yasushi Yoshimatsu, Akihiro Yamada, Ryuichi Furukawa, Koji Sono, Aisaku Osamura, Kentaro Nakamura, Hiroshi Aoki, Yukiko Tsuda, Nobuo Hosoe, Nobuo Takada, Yasuo Suzuki, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Toho University Sakura Medical Center, Chiba 285-8741, Japan.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sono
authors.affiliation: Yasushi Yoshimatsu, Akihiro Yamada, Ryuichi Furukawa, Koji Sono, Aisaku Osamura, Kentaro Nakamura, Hiroshi Aoki, Yukiko Tsuda, Nobuo Hosoe, Nobuo Takada, Yasuo Suzuki, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Toho University Sakura Medical Center, Chiba 285-8741, Japan.
authors.forename: Aisaku
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Osamura
authors.affiliation: Yasushi Yoshimatsu, Akihiro Yamada, Ryuichi Furukawa, Koji Sono, Aisaku Osamura, Kentaro Nakamura, Hiroshi Aoki, Yukiko Tsuda, Nobuo Hosoe, Nobuo Takada, Yasuo Suzuki, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Toho University Sakura Medical Center, Chiba 285-8741, Japan.
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Yasushi Yoshimatsu, Akihiro Yamada, Ryuichi Furukawa, Koji Sono, Aisaku Osamura, Kentaro Nakamura, Hiroshi Aoki, Yukiko Tsuda, Nobuo Hosoe, Nobuo Takada, Yasuo Suzuki, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Toho University Sakura Medical Center, Chiba 285-8741, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.affiliation: Yasushi Yoshimatsu, Akihiro Yamada, Ryuichi Furukawa, Koji Sono, Aisaku Osamura, Kentaro Nakamura, Hiroshi Aoki, Yukiko Tsuda, Nobuo Hosoe, Nobuo Takada, Yasuo Suzuki, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Toho University Sakura Medical Center, Chiba 285-8741, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsuda
authors.affiliation: Yasushi Yoshimatsu, Akihiro Yamada, Ryuichi Furukawa, Koji Sono, Aisaku Osamura, Kentaro Nakamura, Hiroshi Aoki, Yukiko Tsuda, Nobuo Hosoe, Nobuo Takada, Yasuo Suzuki, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Toho University Sakura Medical Center, Chiba 285-8741, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hosoe
authors.affiliation: Yasushi Yoshimatsu, Akihiro Yamada, Ryuichi Furukawa, Koji Sono, Aisaku Osamura, Kentaro Nakamura, Hiroshi Aoki, Yukiko Tsuda, Nobuo Hosoe, Nobuo Takada, Yasuo Suzuki, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Toho University Sakura Medical Center, Chiba 285-8741, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takada
authors.affiliation: Yasushi Yoshimatsu, Akihiro Yamada, Ryuichi Furukawa, Koji Sono, Aisaku Osamura, Kentaro Nakamura, Hiroshi Aoki, Yukiko Tsuda, Nobuo Hosoe, Nobuo Takada, Yasuo Suzuki, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Toho University Sakura Medical Center, Chiba 285-8741, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001407:Bacillus / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D046972:Clostridium butyricum / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*; D003106:Colon / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019936:Probiotics / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012008:Recurrence; D012074:Remission Induction; D021521:Ribotyping; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial
keywords: Cluster analysis; Inflammatory bowel disease; Probiotics; Ulcerative colitis