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Information Store FST Bulletin 27 February 2009
http://www.foodsciencecentral.com/fsc/bulletin-ff-free
© IFIS Publishing 2010 - All Rights Reserved
Dietary-based gut flora modulation against Clostridium difficile onset
Christos Gougoulias, Kieran M. Tuohy and Glenn R. Gibson
Food Microbial Sciences Unit, Department of Food Biosciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AP, UK. Tel. þ44 118 378 4537. Fax þ44 118 931 0080. E-mail c.gougoulias@reading.ac.uk
Abstract
Clostridium difficile infection is a frequent complication of antibiotic therapy in hospitalised patients, which today is attracting more attention than ever and has led to its classification as a 'superbug'. Disruption of the composition of the intestinal microflora following antibiotic treatment is an important prerequisite for overgrowth of C. difficile and the subsequent development of an infection. Treatment options for antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and C. difficile-induced colitis include administration of specific antibiotics (e.g. vancomycin), which often leads to high relapse rates. More importantly, both the rate and severity of C. difficile-associated diseases are increasing, with new epidemic strains of C. difficile often implicated. For the prevention and treatment of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and C. difficile infection, several probiotic bacteria such as selected strains of lactobacilli (especially Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG), Bifidobacterium longum, and Enterococcus faecium and the non-pathogenic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii have been used. Controlled trials indicate a benefit of S. boulardii and L. rhamnosus GG as therapeutic agents when used as adjuncts to antibiotics. However, the need for more well designed controlled trials with probiotics is explicit.
Keywords: probiotics, Clostridium difficile, diarrhoea
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