NCT00933556

A Pilot Trial to Determine the Efficacy of VSL#3 for Reducing Colonization by VRE

A Pilot Randomized Trial to Determine the Efficacy of a Probiotic, VSL#3 for Reducing Colonization by Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE)

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 90 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Wisconsin, Madison · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility, safety and efficacy of oral probiotic, VSL#3 versus oral placebo for reducing colonization by VRE.

Detailed description

Healthcare-associated infections are an important threat to patient safety. Currently, between 5 and 10 percent of patients admitted to acute care hospitals acquire one or more infections; healthcare-associated infections affect approximately 2 million patients each year in the United States, result in 90,000 deaths, and are associated with an added cost of $4.5 to $5.7 billion per year. Seventy percent of healthcare-associated infections are caused by antimicrobial resistant bacteria, such as vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE), resulting in increased antimicrobial usage, morbidity and mortality, making prevention of multiresistant bacteria essential. Eradication of colonization has been shown to greatly reduce infection; however, there are no reliable means of providing sustained eradication of colonization. No effective means of eradicating VRE intestinal colonization exist. Probiotics containing strains of lactobacilli represent a novel approach to the prevention and control of antimicrobial resistance and have been studied extensively for a variety of infections. Even though various studies have shown probiotics to be effective for prevention of vaginal infections, urinary tract infections, etc no studies have examined the potential of probiotics to eradicate colonization by resistant pathogens, such as VRE.

Conditions

• Anti-biotic Resistance

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT	VSL#3	6 gms of powder formulation to be given once a day for 4 weeks
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT	sugar pill (placebo)	placebo identical to the active product will be given

Timeline

• Start date: 2008-10-01
• Primary completion: 2010-10-01
• Completion: 2012-03-01
• First posted: 2009-07-07
• Last updated: 2015-10-08

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States