Table 3.
Randomized controlled trials for the treatment of C. difficile disease using S. boulardii
| Ref. | Treatment groups | Study population | Daily dose: cfu/d (mg/d) | Duration of treatment (wk) | Follow-up(wk) | C. difficile recurrence in probiotic group | C. difficile recurrence in placebo group |
| McFarland et al[53] | S. boulardii vs placebo | 124 adult patients on varied doses of vancomycin or metronidazole; recurrent and initial CDAD cases; 3 referral sites, US | 3 × 1010 (1000 mg) | 4 | 4 | 15/57 (26.3%)a | 30/67 (44.8%) |
| Surawicz et al[60] | S. boulardii vs placebo | 168 adult patients recurrent CDAD; on vancomycin (2 g/d, n = 32) or V (500 mg/d, n = 83) or M (1 g/d, n = 53); 4 referral sites, US | 2 × 1010 (1000 mg) | 4 | 4 | V (2 g/d) 3/18 (17%)a; V (500 mg/d) 23/45 (51%); M (1 g/d) 13/27 (48.1%) | V (2 g/d) 7/14 (50%); V (500 mg/d) 17/38 (44.7%); M (1 g/d) 13/26 (50%) |
a
P < 0.05, probiotic vs controls. V: Vancomycin; M: Metronidazole.