ArticleInternational immunopharmacology2021
The role of probiotics in coronavirus disease-19 infection in Wuhan: A retrospective study of 311 severe patients.
Article in International immunopharmacology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 63 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of probiotics on COVID-19 prevention and treatment against mild COVID-19 in outpatient care: A systematic review.Nutrition and health · 2026Pooled it
- Assessment of the Prophylactic Effects of Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics Against COVID-19 Infection: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Clinical medicine & research · 2024Pooled it
- Probiotics for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19: a rapid systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2023Pooled it
- Probiotics for preventing or treating COVID-19; a systematic review of research evidence and meta-analyses of efficacy for preventing death, severe disease, or disease progression.Wellcome open research · 2022Pooled it
- Efficacy of a Probiotic Consisting of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus PDV 1705, Bifidobacterium bifidum PDV 0903, Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis PDV 1911, and Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum PDV 2301 in the Treatment of Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19: a Randomized Controlled Trial.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2023Trial
- The emerging role of the gut microbiota in vaccination responses.Gut microbes · 2025Review
- The Role of Probiotics and Their Postbiotic Metabolites in Post-COVID-19 Syndrome.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Probiotics and human health: biological activities, nutritional aspects, immunomodulatory properties, applications, and future perspectives - a comprehensive review.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- Interactions of Probiotics with the Immune Cells of Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia.Journal of innate immunity · 2025Article
- Human microbiome in post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS).Current research in microbial sciences · 2025Article
- Review
- Exploring the Interplay between COVID-19 and Gut Health: The Potential Role of Prebiotics and Probiotics in Immune Support.Viruses · 2024Review
- The Potential Impact of Probiotics on Human Health: An Update on Their Health-Promoting Properties.Microorganisms · 2024Review
- The Role of Bifidobacterium in COVID-19: A Systematic Review.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Review
- Effect of probiotics as an immune modulator for the management of COVID-19.Archives of microbiology · 2023Article
- Gut microbiota and COVID-19: A systematic review.Health science reports · 2023Article
- Review
- Immunomodulation of B Lymphocytes by Prebiotics, Probiotics and Synbiotics: Application in Pathologies.Nutrients · 2023Review
- Implications and Mechanisms of Antiviral Effects of Lactic Acid Bacteria: A Systematic Review.International journal of microbiology · 2023Review
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 at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeResearches revealed that probiotics maybe a potential strategy for COVID-19, whereas there is a lack of related evidence. This study aims to analyze the role of probiotics on severe COVID-19 patients.
methodsIn the current retrospective single-center study, we collected data of 311 consecutive severe patients with confirmed COVID-19 in Wuhan Union Hospital from Feb 3rd to Feb 20th, 2020. Epidemiological, clinical and medication characteristics were compared and analyzed between patients with or without probiotics.
resultsIn total, 93 of the 123 patients (75.61%) who were treated with probiotics survived to hospital discharge with the median inpatient day of 32 days and mean virus clearance time of 23 days, which were significantly longer than those of patients without probiotics. There were no bias in laboratory parameters, except for IL-6 and ESR, which were significantly higher in patients treated probiotics. We tracked the dynamic changes of 8 selected laboratory parameters (IL-6, CRP, total T lymphocytes, NK cells, B lymphocyte, CD4 + T cells, CD8 + T cells and CD4/CD8 ratio) and found that probiotics could not reduce the increased IL-6 levels but possessed the ability to moderate the immunity and decreased the incidence of secondary infection in COVID-19 patients.
conclusionsProbiotics could be an effective strategy for the treatment of COVID-19 patients to reduce the secondary infection and moderated the immunity.
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