title: Role of short-term use of L. acidophilus DDS-1 and B. lactis UABLA-12 in acute respiratory infections in children: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evidence suggests that the long-term consumption of probiotics may help in reducing the incidence of or modifying acute respiratory infection (ARI). We assessed the role of the short-term use of probiotics in ARI in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a randomized, double-blind, controlled study that enrolled 315 children with 90 dropouts. On the first day of appearance of a sick household member, otherwise healthy children of both sexes aged 3-12 years were allocated to receive Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1 and Bifidobacterium lactis UABLA-12 (Up4-Junior) in a dose of 5 billion colony-forming units daily with 50 mg of fructooligosaccharide (the probiotic group) or rice maltodexrin (the control group). Test supplementation and follow-up lasted for 2 weeks or until the end of the secondary ARI in a child. The primary outcome measure was the incidence of ARI. Time to resolution and the severity of ARI served the secondary outcome measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all, 64 of 113 children in the probiotic group (57%) and 73 of 112 children in the control group (65%) developed ARI (P=0.261). Time to resolution of the secondary ARI was shorter in the probiotic group (5.0 (interquartile range (IQR): 4.0-6.0) vs 7.0 (IQR: 6.0-8.0) days, P<0.001). The median severity of ARI was 240 (IQR: 163-350) score-days in the probiotic vs 525 (IQR: 364-736) score-days in the control group (P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The short-term use of probiotics does not reduce the incidence, but shortens ARI in preschool and elementary school children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Lviv National Medical University, Lviv, Ukraine.
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Gerasimov
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Lviv City Children Hospital, Lviv, Ukraine.
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Ivantsiv
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Lviv City Children Hospital, Lviv, Ukraine.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Bobryk
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine.
authors.forename: O O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Tsitsura
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Lviv National Medical University, Lviv, Ukraine.
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Dedyshin
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Lviv City Children Hospital, Lviv, Ukraine.
authors.forename: N V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Guta
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Lviv City Children Hospital, Lviv, Ukraine.
authors.forename: B V
authors.initials: BV
authors.lastname: Yandyo
mesh_terms: D000069982:Bifidobacterium animalis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007779:Lactobacillus acidophilus; D008297:Male; D019936:Probiotics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome