This is a randomised, open-label and controlled clinical trial aimed to investigate the adjuvant treatment benefits of probiotic Streptococcus salivarius K12 in hospitalised mild-to-moderate patients with COVID-19 disease.
Boosting the immunity and maintaining a healthy and balanced microflora at oropharyngeal environment of people through probiotics supplementation has been proposed as a possible strategy to protect human host from respiratory tract infections. A slow-dissolved oropharyngeal probiotic formula containing S. salivarius K12 has been clinically demonstrated to improve the upper respiratory tract microbiota protecting the host from pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and viruses, thereby reducing the incidence of viral respiratory tract infections and bacterial co-infections. S. salivarius K12 has been proposed as a promising agent for prophylactic or probiotic treatments to protect individuals during the outbreak of seasonal or emerging respiratory infection diseases. S. salivarius K12 strain, commonly known as BLIS K12, is a highly safe, and extensively-studied probiotic that resides in the oral cavity. BLIS K12 has a solid scienctific rationale for helping to prevent streptococcal pharyngitis and/or tonsillitis, ear infections (otitis media) and to help treat halitosis. It is a specific strain of Streptococcus Salivarius, which secretes powerful anti-microbial molecule called Bacteriocin-Like-Inhibitory Substances (BLIS). The ingredient is believed to support healthy bacteria in the mouth for long-term fresh breath and immune support. It is proposed that the oral administration of the strain K12 to hospitalized COVID-19 patients (not already in ICU) receiving supplementary oxygen (not invasive oxygen theraphy) to exploit the "ventilation" and helping S. salivarius (K12) to move from the mouth (it is an oral colonizer) to the lungs, colonizing them. The idea is that the lung presence of K12 could strategically reduce the lung and immune capability to release pro-inflammatory cytokines, thus preventing excessive lung inflammation, and the need to proceed to ICU and death.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
50
Standard COVID-19 care as per the hospital guidelines
Daily 2 oral BLIS K12 tablets for up to 14 days.
King Edward Medical University Teaching Hospital
Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan
Recovery and live discharge
Number of patients with clinical improvement
Time frame: From day 1 to day 14
Hospitalisation days
The effect of K12 treatment in reducing the hospitalisation days
Time frame: From day 1 to day 14
Effect on inflammatory markers
Numbers of patients with improvement in the inflammatory markers
Time frame: From day 1 to day 14
ICU transfer
Reduction in the rate of ICU transfer
Time frame: From day 1 to day 14
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