Probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 versus placebo for treating diarrhea of greater than 4 days duration in infants and toddlers.

Background: Administering probiotics can prevent or cure some forms of diarrhea. The efficacy of probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) in infants and toddlers with diarrhea >4 days was tested by a double-blind trial.

Methods: One hundred fifty-one children aged 1-47 months with nonspecific diarrhea were randomized to receive either EcN suspension (N = 75) or placebo (N = 76).

The probiotic Escherichia coli strain Nissle 1917 (EcN) stops acute diarrhoea in infants and toddlers.

In most cases, acute diarrhoea will become self-limiting during the first few days after onset. For young children, however, health risks may develop when the disease lasts longer than 3 days. The purpose of the present trial was to determine whether the stool frequency of infants and toddlers suffering from acute diarrhoea could be normalised more quickly by administering the probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) solution than by administering a placebo.