Autism Studies and Related Medical Conditions, January 2009 - TACA

205. Gill HS, Guarner F. Probiotics and human health: a clinical perspective. Postgrad
Med J. 2004 Sep;80(947):516-26. PMID: 15356352
"There is unequivocal evidence that administration of probiotics could be effective in the
treatment of acute infectious diarrhoea in children and the prevention of antibiotic
associated diarrhoea and nosocomial/community acquired diarrhoea. Encouraging
evidence is also emerging for the effectiveness of probiotics in the prevention and
management of pouchitis and paediatric atopic diseases, and the prevention of
postoperative infections. There is also strong evidence that certain probiotic strains are
able to enhance immune function, especially in subjects with less than adequate
immune function such as the elderly. Efficacy of probiotics in the prevention of
traveller's diarrhoea, sepsis associated with severe acute pancreatitis, and cancers, the
management of ulcerative colitis, and lowering of blood cholesterol remains unproven.
In addition to firm evidence of efficacy (for a range of conditions), major gaps exist in
our knowledge regarding the mechanisms by which probiotics modulate various
physiological functions and the optimum dose, frequency, and duration of treatment for
different probiotic strains."
206. Kruis W. Antibiotics and probiotics in inflammatory bowel disease. Aliment
Pharmacol Ther. 2004 Oct;20 Suppl 4:75-8. PMID: 15352898
"Summary Treatment with antibiotics in inflammatory bowel disease has a long tradition
and is widely used. The indications for antibiotic therapy are wide ranging, from specific
situations such as abscesses or fistulae, to patients with severe disease (as an
unspecific 'protective' measure), and to address the hypothesis that the enteric flora as
a whole, or specific microorganisms such as mycobacteria, are involved in the
pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. The best-studied single antibiotic
compound is metronidazole. However, overall, the scientific basis for the use of
antibiotics is limited, which may reflect a lack of interest from sponsors within the
pharmaceutical industry. Despite this weak evidence base, antibiotics are a globally
established therapeutic tool in inflammatory bowel disease. Growing evidence from
human and animal studies points towards a pivotal pathogenetic role of intestinal
bacteria in inflammatory bowel disease. In view of these experimental findings, clinical
trials have been undertaken to elucidate the therapeutic effects of probiotics in
inflammatory bowel disease. Probiotics are viable nonpathogenic microorganisms which
confer health benefits to the host by improving the microbial balance of the indigenous
microflora. So far, of the many candidates, one specific strain (Escherichia coli Nissle
1917) and a mixture of eight different bacteria have demonstrated convincing
therapeutic efficacy in controlled studies. Maintenance therapy in ulcerative colitis and
prevention therapy, as well as the treatment of pouchitis, have emerged as areas in
which probiotic therapy offers a valid therapeutic alternative to current treatments.
Further investigations may detect additional clinically effective probiotics and other
clinical indications."
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