Use of VSL♯3 in the Treatment of Rotavirus Diarrhea in Children

Abstract

Out of 230 rotavirus-positive acute diarrhea children, 224 children completed the study, (113 in the drug group and 111 in the placebo group). At recruitment on Day 1, there were no significant differences between the 2 groups in terms of frequency of vomiting, mean loose stool frequency, stool consistency, and mean frequency of oral rehydration salts (ORS) and intravenous fluids administered. On Day 2, a lower mean stool frequency and improved stool consistency was noted in the drug group, which achieved statistical significance. This was also reflected in the lower volume of ORS administration in the drug group. Even on Day 3, mean loose stool frequency and frequency of ORS use and frequency of intravenous fluid use was significantly lower in the drug group. The differences in the frequency of loose stools persisted till 8 hours of Day 4. After this, as the placebo group also showed spontaneous improvement the difference between the 2 groups in terms of the overall stools frequency became comparable. However, the overall ORS requirement continued to be significantly lower in the drug group even on Day 4. The overall recovery rates were significantly better in the drug group compared with placebo. No side effects were noted with the use of the probiotic mixture. Use of probiotic mixture VSL[sharp]3 in acute rotavirus diarrhea resulted in earlier recovery and reduced frequency of ORS administration reflecting decreased stool volume losses during diarrhea.

Novel Probiotic Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis CECT 7210 Strain Active against Rotavirus Infections

“…These studies included different probiotic strains, like Bifidobacterium bifidum and Streptococcus thermophilus (43), Lactobacillus paracasei (45), Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (23,36), and the probiotic mixture VSL3 (11). Although direct effects have been reported for the addition of different products, such as isoflavones from soy (1), lactose-based sialyl mimetics (31), and medicinal plants (21), on the inhibition of rotavirus replication, to our knowledge there are very few in vivo data that clearly demonstrate the capacity of a probiotic or a probiotic metabolite to inhibit rotavirus infection.…”

Novel perspectives in probiotic treatment: the efficacy and unveiled mechanisms of the physiological functions

“…However, this effect appears to be dependent on the population of each study, the type of probiotics used, the duration of treatment, the trip destination, and the compliance with treatment. Otherwise, the therapeutic and preventive effects of probiotics such as VSL#3, a mixture of 8 probiotic bacteria, and LGG for rotavirus diarrhea have also been proposed in randomized controlled studies [33,34].…”

In vitrodifferential modulation of immune response by probiotics in porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells

“…Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), mainly strains from genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, are among the strains that can be used as probiotic. There are many documented positive effects in the health of the consumer, including improvement of intestinal function (Lö nnermark, Friman, Lappas, Sandberg, & Berggren, 2010), faster recovery after infectious and antibiotic-induced diarrhoea (Arvola et al, 1999;Dubey, Rajeshwari, Chakravarty, & Famularo, 2008), enhanced antibody production and improvement of intestinal IgA response (Reviewed in Farnworth, 2008;Isolauri, Sutas, Kankaanpaa, Arvilommi, & Salminen, 2001). The interaction of probiotics with host cells, mainly through membrane receptors such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs), is crucial to modulate the immune response by inducing the activation of macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs), which in turn augments antigen presentation and the modulation of cytokine profiles (Braat et al, 2004;Christensen, Frokiar, & Pestka, 2002;Iwabuchi, Takahashi, Xiao, Miyaji, & Iwatsuki, 2007;Imaoka et al, 2008;Mohamadzadeh et al, 2005;Niers et al, 2005;Peluso et al, 2007;Zhang et al, 2011).…”