Trial reportThe Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy2017
A randomized controlled trial of probiotics for Clostridium difficile infection in adults (PICO).
Trial report in The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01680874 (A Pilot Study to Examine the Role of Probiotics for Improving Outcomes of C. Difficile), which is not on this map. Cited by 49 papers, 4 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.
A Pilot Study to Examine the Role of Probiotics for Improving Outcomes of C. Difficile
Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Pooled it
- AGA Technical Review on the Role of Probiotics in the Management of Gastrointestinal Disorders.Gastroenterology · 2020Guideline
- Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of Saccharomyces boulardii as adjunct therapy with Vancomycin in treating Clostridioides difficile infection: A randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Synergistic potential of probiotics and bacteriophages in combating multidrug-resistant microbial infections: A novel therapeutic strategy for the post-antibiotic era.New microbes and new infections · 2026Review
- Ecological and dietary strategies to constrain Clostridioides difficile.Cell host & microbe · 2026Review
- Clinical Outcomes of Metronidazole Monotherapy Versus Metronidazole PlusBiotech (Basel (Switzerland)) · 2026Article
- 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
- Bifidobacteria in antibiotic-associated dysbiosis: restoring balance in the gut microbiome.World journal of microbiology & biotechnology · 2025Review
- Article
- Risk factors and outcomes of Clostridioides difficile infection in patients with colorectal cancer: critical perspective in management.Gut pathogens · 2025Review
- Prevention and treatment of antibiotics-associated adverse effects through the use of probiotics: A review.Journal of advanced research · 2025Review
- The host genes influencingFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Article
- Bacterial live therapeutics for human diseases.Molecular systems biology · 2024Review
- Review
- Guideline for the management ofEClinicalMedicine · 2024Review
- Randomised, Placebo-Controlled Investigation of the Impact of Probiotic Consumption on Gut Microbiota Diversity and the Faecal Metabolome in Seniors.Microorganisms · 2024Article
- Microbiota-Based Therapeutics as New Standard-of-Care Treatment for RecurrentVisceral medicine · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundClostridium difficile is the most common cause of hospital-acquired infections, responsible for >450000 infections annually in the USA. Probiotics provide a promising, well-tolerated adjunct therapy to standard C. difficile infection (CDI) treatment regimens, but there is a paucity of data regarding their effectiveness for the treatment of an initial CDI.
objectivesWe conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial of 33 participants from February 2013 to February 2015 to determine the feasibility and health outcomes of adjunct probiotic use in patients with an initial mild to moderate CDI.
methodsThe intervention was a 28 day, once-daily course of a four-strain oral probiotic capsule containing Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, Lactobacillus paracasei Lpc-37, Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-07 and B. lactis Bl-04. The control placebo was identical in taste and appearance. Registered at clinicaltrials.gov: trial registration number = NCT01680874.
resultsProbiotic adjunct therapy was associated with a significant improvement in diarrhoea outcomes. The primary duration of diarrhoea outcome (0.0 versus 1.0 days; P = 0.039) and two exploratory outcomes, total diarrhoea days (3.5 versus 12.0 days; P = 0.005) and rate of diarrhoea (0.1 versus 0.3 days of diarrhoea/stool diary days submitted; P = 0.009), all decreased in participants with probiotic use compared with placebo. There was no significant difference in the rate of CDI recurrence or functional improvement over time between treatment groups.
conclusionsProbiotics are a promising adjunct therapy for treatment of an initial CDI and should be further explored in a larger randomized controlled trial.
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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.