Use of Probiotics to Reduce Infections, Death and ESBL Colonisation

Overview

This study examines the effect of oral probiotic treatment to newborns on preventing hospitalizations, death and colonization with Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Gram negative bacteria. Half of the babies will receive 4 weeks treatment with an oral mixture of the probiotic Labinic (R) while the other half will receive a placebo mixture.

Studies show that probiotics given to prematurely born babies prevents sepsis and is widely used in the western world for this purpose. Probiotics consists of one or more normal gut-bacteria. A large study in India showed that giving probiotics to full-born babies reduced hospitalizations and morbidity. This study investigates giving a probiotic mixture with different combination of bacteria, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium infantis and Bifidobacterium breve, for a longer duration (4 weeks instead of 7 days). Infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a major threat to health-care world-wide, and sepsis/severe infection caused by such bacteria is a major cause of neonatal death. The study hypothesis is that giving probiotics to newborns prevents them from getting colonized with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE). By preventing colonization with ESBL-PE, severe infections such as sepsis may be prevented, and thereby survival may be improved.

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Locations (1)

Outcomes