The disruption of the natural flora of the gastrointestinal tract (especially Lactobacillus acidophilus) may occur during antibiotic therapy. This may lead to diarrhea, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalances. It has been suggested that replacement of the lactobacilli with a commercially available product may prevent the diarrhea. The efficacy and safety of prophylactically administered Lactinex (culture of L. acidophilus and L. bulgaricus) was compared with placebo for the prevention of amoxicillin-induced diarrhea in pediatric patients. Lactinex or placebo was administered four times a day for ten days to coincide with the antibiotic therapy. The Lactobacillus preparation did not appear to consistently prevent diarrhea in this patient population. Patients' age, diet, and parental definition of diarrhea were factors that may have influenced the results.

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This paper provides a framework analysing the response of South African companies to HIV/AIDS. Drawing on three case studies of companies, each with over 20 000 South African-based employees, we identify six 'drivers' that influence corporate behaviour regarding HIV/AIDS: legal requirements, voluntary regulation, business costs, social pressures, visibility of the disease, and individuals within companies.We suggest that costs calculations, while possibly underestimating indirect and macro-implications, are not key in driving company responses to HIV/AIDS.The law and voluntary regulation have influenced, but not determined, the response of companies to HIV/AIDS. Social pressures on companies are of importance, but the scale and complexity of need in South Africa has seen the deflecting of this driver. Of greater reference in determining responses has been the social pressure of other companies' responses.The general visibility of the AIDS epidemic is also a significant factor in explaining companies' responses to HIV/AIDS. Moreover, the visibility of HIV/AIDS within companies has influenced the responses of often relatively weak, internal agents who have been attempting to drive companies' HIV/AIDS programmes.We conclude that external drivers -legal requirements, economic performance, and social pressures -have framed corporate responses to HIV/AIDS to a degree, but have generally been weak. Moreover, there has been relatively little synergy between these external drivers and the internal drivers -voluntary regulation, visibility, and company HIV/AIDS 'champions' -that could propel companies into pro-active, bold responses to HIV/AIDS. Keywords: companies, HIV response, South Africa. RÉSUMÉCette communication met à disposition un cadre qui analyse la réponse des sociétés sud-africaines au VIH/SIDA. En tirant sur trois études de cas de ces sociétés, chacune ayant 20 000 employés vivant en Afrique du Sud, nous identifions six conducteurs qui influencent le comportement de corporation par rapport au VIH/SIDA: des dispositions réglementaires, un règlement volontaire, des coûts d'affaires, des pressions sociales, une visibilité de la maladie et des individus au sein des sociétés.Nous suggérons que les calculs de coûts, entre temps les implications indirectes et macros sont peut-être sousestimées, ne sont pas prioritaires pour diriger les réponses des sociétés au VIH/SIDA. La loi et le règlement volontaire ont influencé, et non pas déterminé, la réponse des sociétés. Les pressions sociales sur les sociétés ont plus d'importance, mais l'ampleur et la complexité du besoin en Afrique du Sud a détourné ce conducteur. La pression sociale des réponses des autres sociétés fut une référence importante qui a déterminé la réponse. La visibilité générale de l'épidémie du SIDA est également un facteur important dans l'explication des réponses de sociétés au VIH/SIDA. D'autant plus que la visibilité du VIH/SIDA au sein des sociétés a influencé les réponses des agents, souvent relativement faibles, qui ont essayé de diriger...