Probiotic Lactobacillus casei Shirota improves kidney function, inflammation and bowel movements in hospitalized patients with acute gastroenteritis - A prospective study

Lactobacillus casei Shirota (LcS) is a probiotic strain typically consumed with dairy products. In this study 142 hospitalized patients with symptoms of acute gastroenteritis were included. Patients in the LcS group received twice daily 65 ml of a commercial beverage containing L. casei Shirota. The treatment with LcS resulted in a significantly decreased daily average (−5.42 vs. −4.40) and cumulative rate of bowel movements (−32.49 vs. −26.43) and improvement of the glomerular filtration rate (after 24 hours: 41.9 ± 2.8 vs. 25.9 ± 4.2 ml/min, p < 0.01). Furthermore, treatment with LcS resulted in a significant decrease of CRP on days five, six and seven. Leukocyte counts decreased in all groups, while on day three the effect was significantly higher in the LcS group receiving antibiotics. In our study, L. casei Shirota administration twice a day had positive effects on the reduction of bowel movements, improvement of kidney function and inflammation compared to the control group. Hence, we would suggest that additional LcS administration might be considered in those patients with acute gastroenteritis who present with high inflammation markers and/or acute impaired kidney function.