Lactobacillus acidophilus for Acute Gastroenteritis management in Children

The effectiveness of probiotic strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus in managing acute childhood gastroenteritis remains unclear. The present study searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, and three Chinese literature databases (CNKI, WanFang, and CBM) from inception to February 2021 for RCTs comparing the use of Lactobacillus acidophilus with no Lactobacillus acidophilus. It searched the grey literature through Google Scholar and contacted authors of the original papers for additional data. 

The study contained a total of 15 RCTs with 1765 patients. Compared with a placebo or no treatment, Lactobacillus acidophilus showed a link with a reduced duration of diarrhea (moderate quality of evidence); however, the effect remained insignificant while using only individual probiotic strains. Lactobacillus acidophilus showed its efficacy when given at a daily dose ≥ 109 CFU. The study found no difference in the effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus on diarrheal duration among Asian, European, or American countries. Lactobacillus acidophilus lowered the frequency of diarrhea from day 2 to day 5. However, it was most significant on day 3. 

This study shows that Lactobacillus acidophilus, when dispensed at a dose of 109 CFU to children with acute gastroenteritis, is effective in reducing the duration and frequency of diarrhea (moderate- to low-quality data).

Cheng H, Ma Y, Liu X, Tian C, Zhong X, Zhao L. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: Lactobacillus acidophilus for Treating Acute Gastroenteritis in Children. Nutrients. 2022 Feb 6;14(3):682. doi: 10.3390/nu14030682. PMID: 35277042; PMCID: PMC8839062.