Allergy/Imm Medical News about Bifidobacterium breve, pediatric malignancies

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Effects of the enteral administration of Bifidobacterium breve on patients undergoing chemotherapy for pediatric malignancies
Supportive Care in Cancer, 08/21/09

Wada M et al. - In a study to evaluate the effects of enteral administration of Bifidobacterium breve strain Yakult on its ability to prevent infection, fecal micro flora, and intestinal environments in cancer pts on chemotherapy, these data, although based on a limited number of pts and samples, suggest that administration of B. breve strain Yakult could be an effective approach for achieving clinical benefits in immunocompromised hosts by improving their intestinal environments.

Methods

Pts with malignancies admitted for chemotherapy (n?=?42) were randomized into 2 groups receiving probiotic or placebo.
The effects on infectious complications, natural killer cells, fecal micro flora, fecal organic acid concentrations, and fecal pH were studied.

Results

Frequency of fever and use of intravenous antibiotics were lower in the probiotic group than the placebo group.
Probiotic administration enhanced the habitation of anaerobes.
Disruption of the intestinal microbiota after chemotherapy such as increase in population levels of Enterobacteriaceae was observed at more pronounced manner in the placebo group in comparison with the probiotic group.
Concentrations of total organic acids were maintained most of the time at the normal level, which constantly maintained the pH below 7.0 only in the probiotic group.