SynthesisThe Cochrane database of systematic reviews2008
Probiotics for treatment of Clostridium difficile-associated colitis in adults.
Synthesis in The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05770726 (The Comparison of the Adjuvant Effect of Probiotics Between Delivery Via Colonoscopic Spray and Oral Administration in Patients With Clostridioides Difficile Colitis Receiving Vancomycin Treatment), which is not on this map. Cited by 73 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
The Comparison of the Adjuvant Effect of Probiotics Between Delivery Via Colonoscopic Spray and Oral Administration in Patients With Clostridioides Difficile Colitis Receiving Vancomycin Treatment
Who cites it
73 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 249 citations in OpenAlex.
- Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea BeyondThe Brown journal of hospital medicine · 2023Pooled it
- AGA Technical Review on the Role of Probiotics in the Management of Gastrointestinal Disorders.Gastroenterology · 2020Guideline
- A practical guide for probiotics applied to the case of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in The Netherlands.BMC gastroenterology · 2018Guideline
- Meta-analysis: antibiotic therapy for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics · 2013Pooled it
- Third generation cephalosporins versus conventional antibiotics for treating acute bacterial meningitis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2007Pooled it
- Bacterial probiotics as an aid in the control of Clostridium difficile disease in neonatal pigs.The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne · 2016Trial
- Treatment of first recurrence of Clostridium difficile infection: fidaxomicin versus vancomycin.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2012Trial
- Central Line-Related Bloodstream Infection byMicroorganisms · 2025Article
- Evaluating Bezlotoxumab-Fidaxomicin Combination Therapy in Clostridioides Infection: A Single-Center Retrospective Study from Aichi Prefecture, Japan.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Guidelines for Antibiotics Prescription in Critically Ill Patients.Indian journal of critical care medicine : peer-reviewed, official publication of Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine · 2024Article
- A Case of Lactobacillus casei Endocarditis Associated With Probiotic Intake in an Immunocompromised Patient.Cureus · 2023Article
- Autoclaved Diet with Inactivated Spores ofAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2022Article
- Article
- Inhibition of Quinolone- and Multi-Drug-Resistant Clostridioides Difficile Strains by Multi Strain Synbiotics-An Option for Diarrhea Management in Nursing Facilities.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Probiotics in Medicine: A Long Debate.Frontiers in immunology · 2020Review
- Complementary therapies for patients with systemic sclerosis.Journal of scleroderma and related disorders · 2019Review
- Clostridium difficile, the Difficult "Kloster" Fuelled by Antibiotics.Current microbiology · 2019Review
- Management of adult Clostridium difficile digestive contaminations: a literature review.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2019Review
- RecurrentGut and liver · 2019Review
- Guidelines for Antibiotic Prescription in Intensive Care Unit.Indian journal of critical care medicine : peer-reviewed, official publication of Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine · 2019Article
13 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundProbiotics are live microorganisms consisting of non-pathogenic yeast and bacteria that are believed to restore the microbial balance of the gastrointestinal tract altered by infection with Clostridium difficile (C. difficile).
objectivesTo assess the efficacy of probiotics in the treatment of antibiotic associated C. difficile colitis. SEARCH STRATEGY: The databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Cochrane IBD/FBD Specialized Trials register were searched to locate all published reports from 1966 to 2007. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized, prospective studies using probiotics alone or in conjunction with conventional antibiotics for the treatment of documented C. difficile colitis were eligible for inclusion. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data extraction and analysis was done independently by two authors. MAIN
resultsFour studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The four studies examined the use of probiotics in conjunction with conventional antibiotics (vancomycin or metronidazole) for the treatment of recurrence or an initial episode of C. difficile colitis in adults. The studies were small in size and had methodological problems. A statistically significant benefit for probiotics combined with antibiotics was found in one study. McFarland 1994 found that patients receiving S. boulardii were significantly less likely than patients receiving placebo to experience recurrence of C. difficile diarrhea (RR 0.59; 95% CI 0.35 to 0.98). No benefit of probiotics treatment was found in the other studies. AUTHORS'
conclusionsThere is insufficient evidence to recommend probiotic therapy as an adjunct to antibiotic therapy for C. difficile colitis. There is no evidence to support the use of probiotics alone in the treatment of C. difficile colitis.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.