Lactobacillus GG reduced diarrhoea incidence in antibiotic treated children
QUESTION: In children being treated with antibiotics, does co-administration of Lactobacillus GG (LGG) reduce the incidence of diarrhoea?
Randomised (allocation concealed), blinded (clinicians, patients, and outcome assessors), placebo controlled trial with 10 days of follow up.
Primary care paediatric practice in Rapid City, South Dakota, USA.
202 children between 6 months and 10 years of age who had an acute infection of the upper or lower respiratory tract, urinary tract, soft tissues, or skin, and were prescribed a 10 day course of antibiotics. Exclusion criteria were chronic disease, serious acute infection, or diarrhoea at the start of antibiotic administration. 188 children (93%) (median age 4 y, 55% girls) completed the study.
Children were allocated to LGG (CAG Functional Foods, Omaha, NE, USA) (n=93) or placebo (n=95). Children who weighed <12 kg took 1 capsule (10 billion colony forming units of …