Table 1.
Schedule for obtaining nasal swab (NS) samples and BC regimen.
| Date | URTIs yearly frequency | URTI no. | Sample and purpose | Intervention | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May-2017 | 5 URTIs | URTI no. 1 | – | All 4 NS were subjected to qPCR viral test and 1/3 (before BC) was subjected to microbiome analysis | |
| URTI no. 2 | - | ||||
| URTI no. 3 | 1 NS (qPCR) | - | |||
| URTI no. 4 | 1 NS (qPCR) | - | |||
| URTI no. 5 |
2 NS (1 NS for qPCR and microbiome analysis; 1 NS for qPCR) |
– |
The third and fourth NS samples are 24-h apart; the third NS was taken then a single BC dose was given and after 24 hours another NS was taken. The first NS sample was used for microbiome analysis (one week before starting BC regimen) |
||
| May-2018 | – | - | - | A | Period A (repeated yearly): The beginning of BC regimen. Daily supplementation of 1 g of BC at the Dawn time for 4 weeks. |
| - | - | B1 | Period B: 2 weeks after the end of period A: supplementation of 1 g of BC at the Dawn time for 3 continuous days | ||
| - | - | C1 | Period C: 2 weeks after the end of period B: supplementation of 1 g of BC at the Dawn time two times weekly (Monday and Thursday) for 4 weeks | ||
| - | 1 NS (microbiome analysis) | B2 | Then cycles of period B then C and so forth until completing the year from the beginning of the regimen. | ||
| - | - | C2 | |||
| - | - | B3 | |||
| - | - | C3 | |||
| - | - | B4 | |||
| - | - | C4 | |||
| - | - | B5 | |||
| - | - | C5 | |||
| - | - | 1-month rest |