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Probiotic Can Help Prevent C. Diff Due to Antibiotics

A nontoxic bacterial cocktail or a probiotic called Saccharomyces boulardii may help you avoid diarrhea from C. diff due to antibiotics.

Have you ever experienced a bad bout of diarrhea after finishing a course of antibiotics? This reaction is not uncommon. Now, researchers are beginning to recognize that often this problem is caused by Clostridioides difficile, that is, C. diff due to antibiotics. Because it is due to bacterial overgrowth, doctors sometimes try to treat it with other antibiotics. But that doesn’t always work. Now the FDA is considering a novel treatment–bacteria!

Can a Bacterial Cocktail Cure C. Diff Due to Antibiotics?

C. diff is hard to eradicate, even with strong antibiotics. It can cause devastating diarrhea, abdominal cramping and dehydration among other problems. Some people with recurrent bouts have died as a result. Sometimes doctors treat stubborn cases with a fecal microbiota transplant.

The FDA has just granted fast track status to a unique cocktail of nontoxic bacteria under the name VE303. This live biotherapeutic product contains 5 strains of nontoxic clostridia bacteria. A randomized controlled trial published in JAMA concluded that VE303 prevented C. diff recurrences better than placebo (JAMA, April 15, 2023). Among 79 patients with recurrent C. diff, 45% on the placebo had a recurrence during the trial. In comparison, not quite 14% of those getting a high dose of VE303 experienced a recurrence. The FDA will expect additional studies confirming these results before it approves the product.

It is certainly promising to learn that there may be a treatment on the way. Can people use probiotics that are currently available to prevent C. diff, rather than waiting for the new product?

C. Diff Due to Antibiotics:

Q. My mother, my father, my grandmother and my mother-in-law all developed an uncontrollable, nasty diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile after taking antibiotics (especially Cipro). C. diff is the name of bacteria that live in the gut with other normal bacteria, causing no problems when a person is healthy. However, when a person takes a strong antibiotic for an infection, the medicine kills the normal bacteria in the gut and the C. diff remains. It no longer has any competition from normal flora. When it grows, it produces a toxin that causes severe diarrhea.

A pharmacist recommended taking the probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii whenever we are on an antibiotic. This yeast is not susceptible to most antibiotics. It helps keep C. diff in check and prevents diarrhea. Do you agree that this is a good protocol? It seems to work for my family.

The Evidence on Probiotics:

A. Scientists don’t all agree on whether or not probiotics can help prevent C. diff due to antibiotics. Saccharomyces boulardii is a probiotic that has been recommended widely to help counteract antibiotic-associated diarrhea. In fact, research demonstrates that when hospitalized patients take S. boulardii they are less likely to develop diarrhea after antibiotics (Clinical Infectious Diseases, June 23, 2020; European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Aug. 2018).

Because S. boulardii is a yeast rather than a bacteria, antibiotics don’t kill it (Current Microbiology, Sep. 2020). Consequently, it is useful for people taking antibiotics. They don’t have to worry that the medicine killing off the pathogens will also kill the probiotic bacteria such as Lactobacillus they take at the same time. Bacterial probiotic strains can be helpful in other situations, however.

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About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
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Citations
  • Louie T et al, "VE303, a defined bacterial consortium, for prevention of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection: A randomized clinical trial." JAMA, April 15, 2023. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.4314
  • Wombwell E et al, "The effect of Saccharomyces boulardii primary prevention on risk of Hospital Onset Clostridioides difficile infection in hospitalized patients administered antibiotics frequently associated with Clostridioides difficile infection." Clinical Infectious Diseases, June 23, 2020. DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaa808
  • Carstensen JW et al, "Use of prophylactic Saccharomyces boulardii to prevent Clostridium difficile infection in hospitalized patients: a controlled prospective intervention study." European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Aug. 2018. DOI: 10.1007/s10096-018-3267-x
  • Kaźmierczak-Siedlecka K et al, "Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745: A non-bacterial microorganism used as probiotic agent in supporting treatment of selected diseases." Current Microbiology, Sep. 2020. DOI: 10.1007/s00284-020-02053-9
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