Yeast-based Probiotic Shown to Significantly Reduce Recurrence of Dangerous Intestinal Disease

Newswise — Probiotic therapy has been clinically proven to assist in the prevention and management of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, but recent analysis concludes that only the yeast-based probiotic, Saccharomyces boulardii (S. boulardii is available under the brand name Florastor®), combined with antibiotic therapy, is effective against the recurrence of the severe intestinal disease brought on by the Clostridium difficile (C. diff) pathogen.

Clostridium difficile is a gram-positive anaerobic bacterium that can enter and exist in the human colon, but it is usually held in check by normal intestinal flora, or "good" bacteria. When the flora is altered, usually as a result of antibiotic treatment for an unrelated illness, the C. diff flourishes and produces two very potent toxins, Toxins A and B, which produce severe, potentially fatal diarrhea.

C. diff-associated disease (CDAD) is treatable with powerful antibiotics, such as metronidazole or vancomycin, but because C. diff is a spore-producing pathogen, patients often suffer from relapse when the spores "hatch" weeks or even months later. New studies suggest that incidence of recurrent CDAD symptoms can be avoided by combining the traditional antibiotic therapy with Florastor Saccharomyces boulardii.

"Almost one in four CDAD patients will experience a recurrence of symptoms after a round of antibiotic therapy," said Patricia Raymond, MD, FACP, FACG, a Chesapeake, Virginia-based gastroenterologist, associate professor of clinical medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School and host of the National Public Radio program, "HouseCalls." "When a relapse occurs, use of Florastor during the second antibiotic course can help protect against future relapses because it colonizes the gut with S. boulardii, which can help fight recurrent C. diff."

A recent meta-data analysis of 31 studies compiled and published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology concluded that S. boulardii is the only probiotic that is effective in fighting recurrent C. diff-associated disease (McFarland, L.V. (2006). Meta-analysis of probiotics for the prevention of antibiotic- associated diarrhea and the treatment of Clostridium difficile disease. American Journal of Gastroenterology. 101, 812-822). Additionally, an article in the March 2006 issue of Gastroenterology and Hepatology showed that use of S. boulardii provided an almost 50 percent decrease in subsequent recurrence among patients who suffered recurrent CDAD symptoms (Huebner, E.S., & Surawicz, C.M. (2006). Treatment of recurrent Clostridium difficile diarrhea. Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2, 203-208).

"Because Florastor S .boulardii is a yeast and not a bacteria, it is not killed by the strong antibiotics that are being used to kill the C. diff bacteria, so it survives in the digestive tract," says Dr. Raymond. "When the 'baby' C. diff emerge from their spores, they are greeted by a well-colonized gut, rather than an empty playground."

C. diff has been the subject of recent heightened concern in the medical community because although it had been commonly viewed as a problem one contracts only during lengthy hospital stays, it has been occurring among healthy people in the community. Also of concern is a new, epidemic "super-strain" of C. diff, Clostridium Difficile NAP/027, which, according to Dr. Raymond, produces 16 times more Toxin A and 23 times more Toxin B than other C. diff strains.

The occurrence of C. diff-associated disease in the general population is somewhat unexplained, according to Dr. Raymond, who cites research showing that 45 percent of patients who contracted CDAD had not been on antibiotics during the three months prior to the symptoms, and 70 percent had not been hospitalized. CDAD is usually indicated by severe abdominal pain, diarrhea with mucous and blood passage, and fever. Dr. Raymond advises those exhibiting these symptoms to see a physician immediately to be tested for the presence of the C. diff toxins and to be prescribed proper antibiotics, since over-the-counter anti-diarrheal agents should be avoided.

"These products actually slow down the speed of fluids moving through your bowels and, in the case of C. diff, keeping the bacteria in the bowels is actually a bad thing," she adds.

Healthcare practitioners are advised to adhere to strict hand-washing policies in offices and hospitals to help prevent the spread of this and other types of bacteria.

Florastor has been clinically tested and sold internationally for more than 50 years and is sold in more than 80 countries. Its active ingredient is mentioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) for use in the management of C.diff-associated disease. (Saccharomyces boulardii: a valuable adjunct in recurrent Clostridium difficile disease? (1995) WHO Drug Information; 9; ( 1); 15-16) Florastor has been available on a limited basis in the United States since 2003, and Florastor® Kids since 2005.

Florastor is available in most CVS stores, Walgreen's stores, A&P pharmacies and at local pharmacies nationwide. For a list of places that carry Florastor, visit http://www.florastor.com. If you can't find it in the anti-diarrheal/stomach aid section of your store, try asking the pharmacist " many stores keep the product behind the counter or it can be ordered via your pharmacist. It can also be purchased online at http://www.newtimrx.com/florastor.html.