Table 1.
Case reports and literature reviews of bacteremias associated with probiotics (some cases were reported simultaneously in different reviews).
| Reference | Pathogen | Number of cases | Localization | Risk factors/copathologies | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lactobacillus | |||||
| Kullar et al. 2023 (*)(^) | Lactobacillus spp | 25 | Bacteremia | Short gut syndrome, Ulcerative colitis, Preterm Low birth weight, C. difficile associated disease, Acute leukemia, Cancer, Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, central venous catheter | Recovered: 25 |
| Rahman et al. 2023 | Lactobacillus casei | 1 | Bacteremia + endocarditis | Chronic steroid intake | Recovered |
| Hefter et al. 2023 (@) | Lactobacillus spp | 3 | Bacteremia | Impaired intestinal function, Central venous catheter | Recovered: 3 |
| Mikucka et al. 2022 | Lactobacillus rhamnosus | 2 | Bacteremia | Intensive care unit admission | Died |
| Karime et al. 2022 | Lactobacillus rhamnosus | 1 | Bacteremia + endocarditis | Ulcerative colitis | Recovered |
| Rossi et al. 2022 (§)(^) | Lactobacillus spp | 3 | Bacteremia, Bacteremia + meningo encephalitis, Interstitial pneumonia | Extremely low birth weight neonates, Promyelocytic leukemia Cancer, Diabetes |
NR |
| Rubin et al. 2020 | Lactobacillus rhamnosus | 1 | Bacteremia | Parenteral feeding | Recovered |
| Matkowska et al. 2021 (^) | Lactobacillus spp | 28 | Bacteremia ± endocarditis, Empyema, Liver abscess, Pneumonia, Cholecystitis | No risk factors (3 cases), Cardiac valvular disease, Liver cirrhosis, Short bowel syndrome, Severe neurological impairment, Lung transplant, Diabetes, Immunocompromission | Recovered 27 Died 1 |
| Falci et al. 2015 | Lactobacillus rhamnosus | 1 | Bacteremia | Kidney transplant recipient | Recovered |
| Antoun et al. 2020 | Lactobacillus rhamnosus | 1 | Bacteremia + endocarditis | Uncontrolled diabetes | Recovered |
| Bifidobacterium | |||||
| Matkowska et al. 2021 (^) | Bifidobacterium spp | 3 | Bacteremia | Preterm low birth weight neonates, acute lymphoblastic leukemia | Recovered: 3 |
| Weber et al. 2015 (#) (^) | Bifidobacterium spp | 6 | Bacteremia | Preterm low birth weight neonates, | Recovered: 6 |
| Acuna-Gonzales et al. 2023 (^) | Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis | 7 | Bacteremia | extremely low birth weight neonates | Recovered |
| Pruccoli et al. 2019 (^) | Bifidobacterium sp. | 16 | Bacteremia | Preterm neonates some with comorbidities; Acute lymphoblastic leukemia; Intrauterine growth restriction, congenital heart disease | Recovered 15 Dead: 1 |
| Sakurai et al. 2022 | Bifidobacterium breve | 6 | Bacteremia | Preterm neonates | Recovered |
NR=not reported
(^)
review with possible presence of duplicate cases with other similar papers
(*)
3 further cases not matched for same strain found using genomic analysis in the blood sample and probiotic; other Lactobacillus spp. bacteremias with no evidence of oral probiotic administration or cases where the blood isolate did not match the probiotic strain
(§)
other 20 further isolated bacteremias and 12 with deep organ localizations without report of probiotic use
(#)
other 15 cases not related or with no data on probiotics assumption
(@)
5 further cases not associated with probiotics assumption