Biotherapeutic agents in the treatment of infectious diarrhea

The treatment of infectious diarrhea poses multiple challenges. The causes of infectious diarrhea are diverse, ranging from bacterial to viral to fung al, and the types of available treatments are equally diverse. Traditional therapeutic approaches with antibiotics, changes in diet, and oral rehydrat ion therapy have been useful, but the need for alternative treatments exist s. The use of beneficial living organisms or biotherapeutic agents has been investigated and found safe and effective for various types of infectious diarrhea and the treatment of Clostridium difficile disease. Although there are numerous types of microbial preparations available, only a few are bac ked by large, placebo-controlled clinical trials. The microbial agents with adequate scientific evidence include Saccharomyces boulardii, Lactobacillu s rhamnosus GG, and several species of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. The scientific evidence for these agents is reviewed and analyzed in this arti cle.