Treatment of acute diarrhea with Saccharomyces boulardii in infants.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine whether an oral treatment with a commercial pharmaceutical product containing Saccharomyces boulardii would reduce the duration of diarrhea in infants with acute diarrhea. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the present double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 186 infants, 6 to 48 months old and hospitalized within 72 hours after the onset of acute diarrhea in 2 hospitals in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil, were randomly assigned to receive twice per day for 5 days 200 mg of a commercial pharmaceutical product containing 4 × 10 viable cells of S boulardii or a placebo. Stool samples were submitted to search for rotavirus. Among the 176 infants who completed the trial, those treated with S boulardii (90) showed a reduction in diarrhea duration (P < 0.05) when compared with the placebo group (86). RESULTS: The present study shows a reduction in diarrhea duration when S boulardii was given to children within 72 hours after the onset of acute diarrhea. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests a complementary treatment of acute diarrhea in infants with daily oral doses of S boulardii.