ArticleJournal of translational medicine2026
Probiotics in the ICU: a scoping review of evidence for infection prevention.
Article in Journal of translational medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- The Oral and Nasal Gateway Microbiomes: Salivaomics and Systemic Health at the Airway-Digestive Interface.Microorganisms · 2026Review
- Current Understanding of Probiotic Strains and Immune Function: From Gut Microbiota to Systemic Immunity.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIntensive care unit-acquired infections (ICU-AIs) are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Although probiotics have been investigated as a preventive strategy, clinical trials have reported conflicting results, largely attributable to heterogeneity in strain composition, treatment duration, and dosage. This scoping review aimed to examine the influence of strain specificity, intervention duration, and daily dosage on probiotic efficacy in preventing ICU-AIs in adults.
methodsWe conducted this scoping review in accordance with PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Five electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, MEDLINE, and Embase) were systematically searched from January 2014 to September 2024 for English-language interventional and observational studies. Data on probiotic strain(s), duration, dosage (CFU/day), and infection outcomes were extracted and synthesised narratively.
resultsTen studies (seven randomised controlled trials and three observational studies; total > 6,500 patients) were included, encompassing 18 distinct probiotic strains. Multi-strain preparations containing Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 (evaluated in four publications from two RCTs) were most consistently associated with benefit. All five studies using both intervention duration ≥ 14 days and dosage ≥ 5 × 10⁹ CFU/day reported significant reductions in at least one ICU-AI (100%; Fisher exact p = 0.007), whereas none of the five studies with shorter duration or lower dosage achieved significance (0%). Single-strain Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG and low-dose regimens showed no effect.
conclusionCurrent evidence indicates that probiotic efficacy against ICU-AIs is highly strain-, duration-, and dose-dependent, with multi-strain regimens containing Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 administered for ≥ 14 days at ≥ 5 × 10⁹ CFU/day demonstrating the most promising results. However, the limited number of studies and persistent heterogeneity preclude firm recommendations. Large, multicentre, strain-specific randomised trials are needed to confirm these observations and to evaluate safer alternatives such as postbiotics.
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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.