A bacterial infection may prompt your pediatrician to prescribe a course of antibiotic therapy for your baby. Unfortunately, antibiotics are unable to differentiate between harmful bacteria and the helpful bacteria that reside within the human gastrointestinal tract. Helpful microorganisms called probiotics assist in promoting digestive health in adults with lactose intolerance and Crohn's disease. Babies on antibiotics can benefit from probiotics too, as these beneficial bacteria restore the natural flora of the intestines.
Lactobacillus
Lactobacillus is one of the most commonly known forms of probiotic bacteria. As a starter culture, a strain called Lactobacillus bulgaricus is responsible for the fermentation of milk products to create yogurt. Lactobacillus is also present in some probiotic infant formulas. Dr. Samuli Ratava of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Turku in Finland studied the effects of a strain called Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG on infants and found that probiotic therapy reduced the occurrence of middle ear infections and the recurrence of respiratory infections. As a result, probiotics decreased need for antibiotics as well. Ratava's work was published in the June 2009 issue of "The British Journal of Nutrition."
Bifidobacterium
Some infants may experience diarrhea as a result of antibiotic treatment. The probiotic microbe bifidobacterium has been observed to be present as microbial colonizer in the bowels of healthy infants, according to Dr. Michael Millar of the department of medical microbiology at Barts and The London National Health Service Trust in the U.K. Preterm infants are especially vulnerable to illness, and Millar suggests that probiotics may be helpful in reducing the risk of infection in such children. In addition, Millar notes that antibiotics can deplete the natural colonization of the bowel and that the administration of probiotics such as bifidobacterium may help encourage healthy recolonization.
Saccharomyces
Most probiotics are bacterial, but one is a yeast. A species of yeast called Saccharomyces boulardii has demonstrated promise as a treatment for antibiotic-associated diarrhea in pediatric patients, according to Dr. Sunita Vohra of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta in Canada. Although Vohra states that it's too early in the study of probiotics to routinely recommend them for the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, these beneficial microorganisms are generally well tolerated and do not frequently result in side effects.
References
- PubMed.gov: Probiotics for the Prevention http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17443557of Pediatric Antibiotic Associated Diarrhea
- "Archives of Disease in Childhood"; Probiotics for Preterm Infants?; M. Millar et al; 2003
- "Evidence-Based Child Health"; Cochrane Review: Probiotics for the Prevention of Pediatric Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea; S. Vohra et al; 2008
- PubMed.gov: Specific Probiotics in Reducing the Risk of Acute Infections in Infancy - A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study
