Written by Angeline A. De Leon, Staff Writer. Of the 57 hospitalized infants with retrovirus infection, those who were treated with a probiotic formula containing Bifidobacterium longum BORI and Lactobacillus acidophilus had significantly improved symptoms compared to those in the placebo group who were treated with a probiotics-free skim milk powder.
Among diarrheal diseases affecting children in developing and low-income countries, rotavirus infection, caused by pathogenic microorganisms and parasites 1, is one of the most fatal. Globally, hundreds of thousands of infants die from rotavirus infections each year, and many toddlers show signs of infection by the age of five in underdeveloped regions of the world 2. Although the development of vaccines against rotavirus has been found to be safe, the high cost of current medical treatment prevents its adoption by several South Asian and African countries 3. Research has identified the beneficial effects of various probiotic species in the treatment of intestinal infections 4, with studies suggesting Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus as the most beneficial probiotic organisms 5. However, the mechanism underlying the therapeutic properties associated with probiotics is, as of yet, still unclear 6. Thus, in a 2017 study published in Nutrients7 , researchers examined the efficacy of a probiotic product containing Bifidobacterium longum BORI and Lactobacillus acidophilus AD031 in treating symptoms of rotavirus infection in infants and toddlers.
The double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial involved the participation of 57 infants who were hospitalized with rotavirus disease. Infants were randomly assigned to receive oral administration of either a probiotic formula containing Bifidobacterium longum BORI (20 billion CFU/g) and Lactobacillus acidophilus AD031 (2 billion CFU/g) in powder form or a probiotics-free skim milk powder (placebo) for three days, along with standard of care treatment for diarrhea. Quantitative changes in symptoms of rotavirus infection (duration of fever, frequency and duration of diarrhea, and frequency of vomiting) were evaluated prior to and following the study period.
A key finding of the study revealed that the duration of diarrhea was significantly reduced in infants treated with probiotics (4.38 +/- 1.29), as compared to placebo (5.61 +/- 1.23) (p = 0.001). Other symptoms showed a trend of improvement associated with probiotic treatment, although differences were not statistically significant between the two groups.
Results of the study indicate that a probiotic formula containing Bifidobacterium longum and Lactobacillus acidophilus may be an effective complementary treatment for acute diarrhea caused by rotavirus. By significantly reducing the duration of diarrhea in young children, the probiotic strains of Bifidobacterium longum BORI and Lactobacillus acidophilus AD031 appear to improve symptom management of rotavirus infection. Further research is needed to understand the possible dose-dependent effect of this probiotic formula on disease symptomology.
Source: Park MS, Kwon B, Ku S, et al. The efficacy of Bifidobacterium longum BORI and Lactobacillus acidophilus AD031 probiotic treatment in infants with rotavirus infection. Nutrients. 2017; 9: 887: DOI: 10.3390/nu9080887.
© 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
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Posted October 17, 2017.
Angeline A. De Leon, MA, graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2010, completing a bachelor’s degree in psychology, with a concentration in neuroscience. She received her master’s degree from The Ohio State University in 2013, where she studied clinical neuroscience within an integrative health program. Her specialized area of research involves the complementary use of neuroimaging and neuropsychology-based methodologies to examine how lifestyle factors, such as physical activity and meditation, can influence brain plasticity and enhance overall connectivity.
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- Ahmadi E, Alizadeh-Navaei R, Rezai MS. Efficacy of probiotic use in acute rotavirus diarrhea in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Caspian journal of internal medicine. 2015;6(4):187.
- Park MS, Kwon B, Ku S, Ji GE. The Efficacy of Bifidobacterium longum BORI and Lactobacillus acidophilus AD031 Probiotic Treatment in Infants with Rotavirus Infection. Nutrients. 2017;9(8):887.
