Clinical effectiveness of Bacillus clausii and Lactic acid bacillus in acute diarrhea

Abstract

Background: Depending on the duration, acute diarrhea is defined as the passage of three or more loose or liquid stools per day lasting for <14 days. To combat diarrheal diseases, many treatment options have been made available. Probiotics are one of the most researched subjects in the pediatric discipline. Objective: The objective of the study was to compare the effectiveness of two different species of probiotic bacteria, Bacillus clausii and Lactic acid bacillus, in acute diarrhea. Materials and Methods: The sample size was 150 with 75 patients each divided into two groups. Groups A and B patients were administered probiotic B. clausii (2 billion spores) and L. bacillus (1.5 billion spores) respectively, along with ORS+Zinc given orally twice a day. The data were analyzed for details of diarrhea before and after probiotic administration. Results: In Group A, 20 patients recovered within 3 days, whereas 22 Group B patients recovered in 4 days after probiotic administration. For achieving normal stool frequency, the mean number of days was 3.76±1.44 and 3.99±1.52 among Groups A and B patients, respectively, and to achieve normal stool consistency, the values were 3.54±1.34 and 3.65±1.33 days, respectively (p>0.05). Conclusion: Both probiotic preparations were almost equally effective in achieving normal stool consistency and frequency in patients with acute diarrhea.