SynthesisFrontiers in nutrition2023
Probiotics for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19: a rapid systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in nutrition, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
What it found
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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
14 citing papers in PubMed.
- Gut Microbiota from Patients with Long COVID Persisting for 2 Years Result in Alterations in Mice that Resemble Post-COVID Symptoms.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2026Article
- Gut‑brain axis in anesthesia and critical illness: Molecular crosstalk and its impact on delirium and outcome (Review).International journal of molecular medicine · 2026Review
- Effects ofTropical medicine and infectious disease · 2026Article
- Article
- Medication, Nutrition, and Hygiene in COVID-19 Prevention and Treatment: A Comprehensive Narrative Review.Global challenges (Hoboken, NJ) · 2025Review
- Impact of Vitamins, Antibiotics, Probiotics, and History of COVID-19 on the Gut Microbiome in Ulcerative Colitis Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Article
- Gut microbiota and viral respiratory infections: microbial alterations, immune modulation, and impact on disease severity: a narrative review.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Review
- Microbiome dysbiosis in SARS-CoV-2 infection: implication for pathophysiology and management strategies of COVID-19.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Review
- The Intestine in Acute and Long COVID: Pathophysiological Insights and Key Lessons.The Yale journal of biology and medicine · 2024Review
- Dry Powder Inhaler Formulation ofPharmaceutics · 2024Article
- Efficacy of a Multistrain Synbiotic Treatment in Acute and Post-Acute COVID-19 Patients: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Randomized Trial.Microorganisms · 2024Article
- Review
- Alterations in microbiota of patients with COVID-19: implications for therapeutic interventions.MedComm · 2024Review
- Exploring the Interplay between COVID-19 and Gut Health: The Potential Role of Prebiotics and Probiotics in Immune Support.Viruses · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Although numerous modalities are currently in use for the treatment and prophylaxis of COVID-19, probiotics are a cost-effective alternative that could be used in diverse clinical settings. Hence, we conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the role of probiotics in preventing and treating COVID-19 infection. Methods: We searched several databases from inception to 30 May 2023 for all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and comparative observational studies that evaluated probiotics (irrespective of the regimen) for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19. We conducted our meta-analysis using RevMan 5.4 with risk ratio (RR) and mean difference (MD) as the effect measures. Results: A total of 18 studies (11 RCTs and 7 observational studies) were included in our review. Probiotics reduced the risk of mortality (RR 0.40; 95% CI: 0.25-0.65, I Conclusion: The results of this meta-analysis support the use of probiotics as an adjunct treatment for reducing the risk of mortality or improving other clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. However, probiotics are not useful as a prophylactic measure against COVID-19. Large-scale RCTs are still warranted for determining the most efficacious and safe probiotic strains. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42023390275: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=390275).
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