Blood infections may be caused by bacteria in probiotics in ICU patients

It’s gotten normal for patients in the ICU to get probiotics, both children and adult.

According to the study published in Nature Medicine, between 2009 and 2014, 1.1 % of patients suffered from bacteremia who received probiotics in the hospital’s ICU. The study also stated, the microorganisms living in probiotic formulations like yogurt can cause blood infections in few cases as indicated by a study which cautions the use of the product in the hospital’s ICU.

6 ICU cases of bacteremia was compared by the researchers with another 16 patients in the ICU who didn’t have the infection but were receiving probiotics.

Kelly Flett, co-author from Novant Health Eastover Paediatrics, said “We wanted to see if there were factors we could identify clinically, so we could make recommendations about giving probiotics in the ICU,”

Co-author of the study, Thomas Sandora said “We know from prior studies that certain patients are at higher risk for infection from probiotics — usually those with compromised immune systems, or problems with their intestinal tracts that would allow probiotics to get into the bloodstream,”.

He further added “But these patients did not have any of those risk factors. The only risk factor was being critically ill in the ICU,” he further added.

The researchers found that the bacteria in patients’ blood matched with those in the probiotic capsules – a strain known as Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, or LGG.

Researcher from Boston Children’s Hospital, Gregory Priebe said “The high level of discrimination from whole-genome sequencing was needed, since many Lactobacillus species are normal colonisers of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract,” The hospital has new protocols that before handling probiotic capsules nurses should wear gloves and change the gloves after administering them.

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