Probiotics can help fight hospital-acquired pneumonia, study shows

Lund, Sweden, November 6: Research showed that good bacteria known as probiotics can be used to help prevent critically ill patients hooked on mechanical ventilators from developing pneumonia.

Bengt Klarin and his team from the University Hospital in Lund, Sweden conducted a study that compared the effectiveness of using a probiotic treatment with the commonly used antiseptic Chlorhexidine in preventing hospital-acquired pneumonia.

The researchers tested the probiotic bacterium lactobacillus planarum 299 (Lp299) on 50 critically ill patients placed on mechanical ventilators. They swabbed the patients’ mouth using the Lp299 solution and compared it to the Chlorhexidine swab.

The findings of the Swedish research group published in the journal of Critical Care showed that the probiotic solution was just as effective as Chlorhexidine in preventing proliferation of pneumonia-causing bacteria in the mouth and throat.

The researchers also added, "As the bacteria [Lp 299] adhere to the oral mucosa, they are able to counteract potentially pathogenic bacteria around the clock, which is superior to the fairly short-term effect of orally applied chemical agents."

Despite the results of the study, the researchers stressed that further studies need to be made to prove the possibility of using probiotics in the hospital setting.

Bob Marsterton, chair of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotheraphy, stated, "This [use of probiotics] is a plausible idea. But we need much larger trials that focus on clinical outcomes to prove it is an effective and affordable treatment."

Patient that are placed on mechanical ventilators carry the risk of developing ventilator-associated pneumonia through inhalation of harmful bacteria dwelling on their mouth, throat or ventilator tubes into their lungs. Each day of being placed on a mechanical ventilator increases the patient’s risk by one percent.

Swabbing patients’ mouths with antiseptics have been traditionally used but this can also produce negative effects. Bacteria can develop resistance against antibiotics which could limit use of the antibioticdefine swabs. The swabs can also cause teeth discoloration, irritation and allergic reactions.

The negative effects of antibiotics swabs prompted the researchers to study the use of probiotics to prevent pneumonia. Lactobacillus plantarum is a probiotic bacteria normally found in salivadefine and in fermented products.