Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2004 Mar 15:4:5.
doi: 10.1186/1471-230X-4-5.

Lactobacillus GG in inducing and maintaining remission of Crohn's disease

Michael Schultz  1 , Antje Timmer, Hans H Herfarth, R Balfour Sartor, Jon A Vanderhoof, Heiko C Rath
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Lactobacillus GG in inducing and maintaining remission of Crohn's disease

Michael Schultz et al. BMC Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Background: Experimental studies have shown that luminal antigens are involved in chronic intestinal inflammatory disorders such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Alteration of the intestinal microflora by antibiotic or probiotic therapy may induce and maintain remission. The aim of this randomized, placebo-controlled trial was to determine the effect of oral Lactobacillus GG (L. GG) to induce or maintain medically induced remission.

Methods: Eleven patients with moderate to active Crohn's disease were enrolled in this trial to receive either L. GG (2 x 10(9) CFU/day) or placebo for six months. All patients were started on a tapering steroid regime and received antibiotics for the week before the probiotic/placebo medication was initiated. The primary end point was sustained remission, defined as freedom from relapse at the 6 months follow-up visit. Relapse was defined as an increase in CDAI of >100 points.

Results: 5/11 patients finished the study, with 2 patients in each group in sustained remission. The median time to relapse was 16 +/- 4 weeks in the L. GG group and 12 +/- 4.3 weeks in the placebo group (p = 0.5).

Conclusion: In this study we could not demonstrate a benefit of L. GG in inducing or maintaining medically induced remission in CD.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Outline of the study protocol
Figure 2
Figure 2
Time to relapse as depicted by Kaplan-Meier survival estimates.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Schultz M, Scholmerich J, Rath HC. The role of antibiotic and probiotic therapy in inflammatory bowel diseases. Dig Dis Sci. 2003;21:105–128. doi: 10.1159/000073243. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Isolauri E. Probiotics for infectious diarrhea. Gut. 2003;52:436–437. doi: 10.1136/gut.52.3.436. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gionchetti P, Rizzello F, Venturi A, Brigidi P, Matteuzzi D, Bazzocchi G, Poggioli G, Miglioli M, Campieri M. Oral bacteriotherapy as maintenance treatment in patients with chronic pouchitis: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Gastroenterology. 2000;119:305–309. - PubMed
    1. Kruis W, Fric P, Stolte M, The Mutaflor Study Group Maintenance of remission in ulcerative colitis is equally effective with Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 and with standard mesalamine. Gastroenterology. 2001;120:680.
    1. Malchow HA. Crohn's disease and Escherichia coli. A new approach in therapy to maintain remission of colonic Crohn's disease? J Clin Gastroenterol. 1997;25:653–658. doi: 10.1097/00004836-199712000-00021. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types