Probiotics and prebiotics in infectious gastroenteritis

Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is worldwide a common problem in infants and children. While AGE is still an important cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries, it is mainly a problem with high socioeconomic impact in the rest of the world. Oral rehydration solutions (ORS) and rapid refeeding remain the cornerstone of the management. However, ORS does not decrease the duration of diarrhea. There is evidence that selected strains of probiotics decrease the duration of AGE with 24 h, both in ambulatory care and in hospitalized children, resulting also in a decrease of the duration of hospitalization. Synbiotics are equally effective as probiotics alone, but prebiotics are not effective. Both pro- and prebiotics have limited to no efficacy in the prevention of AGE. The administration of pre- and probiotics is considered to be safe, even in newborns. Only these pre-, pro and synbiotics that have been clinically tested can be recommended.