SynthesisGastroenterology2017
Timely Use of Probiotics in Hospitalized Adults Prevents Clostridium difficile Infection: A Systematic Review With Meta-Regression Analysis.
Synthesis in Gastroenterology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 125 papers, 8 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
125 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 273 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of probiotic supplementation in preventingFrontiers in nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Association Between Immunosuppressive Therapy and Outcome of Clostridioides difficile Infection: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Digestive diseases and sciences · 2022Pooled it
- Early use of probiotics might prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea in elderly (>65 years): a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC geriatrics · 2022Pooled it
- Probiotics for the Prevention of Antibiotic-associated Diarrhea in Adults: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials.Journal of clinical gastroenterology · 2021Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of probiotics in eradicating Helicobacter pylori: A network meta-analysis.Medicine · 2019Pooled it
- A practical guide for probiotics applied to the case of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in The Netherlands.BMC gastroenterology · 2018Guideline
- Systematic review: probiotics in the management of lower gastrointestinal symptoms - an updated evidence-based international consensus.Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics · 2018Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Bio-K+ for the prevention ofInfection control and hospital epidemiology · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Personalized B cell response to theGut microbes · 2020Trial
- Probiotics use for antibiotic-associated diarrhea: a pragmatic participatory evaluation in nursing homes.BMC gastroenterology · 2020Trial
- Clinical Guidance and Practical Recommendations for Probiotic Use in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Functional Constipation, andJournal of neurogastroenterology and motility · 2026Review
- Clinical guidance and practical recommendations for probiotic use in patients with irritable bowel syndrome, functional constipation, and Clostridioides difficile infection considering sex-based differences: a Korean translation.Ewha medical journal · 2026Article
- Gut Microbiome Recovery inDiseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Microbiota Modulation as an Approach to Prevent the Use of Antimicrobials Associated with Canine Atopic Dermatitis.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- Formation of gut microbiota and application of microecological regulators in children.Translational pediatrics · 2025Review
- Probiotics: A Little Help for Enteral Nutritional Therapy in Critically Ill Adults.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Controlled Release of Microorganisms from Engineered Living Materials.ACS applied materials & interfaces · 2025Article
- Risk factors and outcomes of Clostridioides difficile infection in patients with colorectal cancer: critical perspective in management.Gut pathogens · 2025Review
65 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND &
aimsSystematic reviews have provided evidence for the efficacy of probiotics in preventing Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), but guidelines do not recommend probiotic use for prevention of CDI. We performed an updated systematic review to help guide clinical practice.
methodsWe searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, International Journal of Probiotics and Prebiotics, and The Cochrane Library databases for randomized controlled trials evaluating use of probiotics and CDI in hospitalized adults taking antibiotics. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias and overall quality of the evidence. Primary and secondary outcomes were incidence of CDI and adverse events, respectively. Secondary analyses examined the effects of probiotic species, dose, timing, formulation, duration, and study quality.
resultsWe analyzed data from 19 published studies, comprising 6261 subjects. The incidence of CDI in the probiotic cohort, 1.6% (54 of 3277), was lower than of controls, 3.9% (115 of 2984) (P < .001). The pooled relative risk of CDI in probiotic users was 0.42 (95% confidence interval, 0.30-0.57; I
conclusionsIn a systematic review with meta-regression analysis, we found evidence that administration of probiotics closer to the first dose of antibiotic reduces the risk of CDI by >50% in hospitalized adults. Future research should focus on optimal probiotic dose, species, and formulation. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO CRD42015016395.
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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.