Effective prophylaxis against rotavirus diarrhea using a combination of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and antibodies

Of the six probiotic bacteria tested, Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG had the strongest influence in reducing prevalence, duration and severity of diarrhea and was therefore chosen for combination treatment with immunoglobulins. The combination treatment reduced the diarrhea outcome measures significantly, prevented histopathological changes and reduced the virus load in the intestines.The advantages associated with immunoglobulins and probiotics based therapy is that the treatment provides a rapid therapeutic effect and is cost efficient. These components do not require special storage conditions and could potentially complement the rehydration therapy that is currently used.Diarrheal diseases remains a major global threat to child survival [1], and rotavirus is the predominant agent of severe, dehydrating gastroenteritis in infants and young children in both developing and industrialized countries [2,3]. In the Western world, it accounts for a major economical loss with a yearly cost of over $ 1 billion in the management of rotavirus infection in the US alone [4]. The recent development of two new rotavirus vaccines offers hope but even if an effective vaccine becomes available, its use may be limited by financial constraints in developing countries. Moreover, its efficacy in children with malnutrition and associated immunodeficiency is questionable. In the absence of an ideal and affordable specific treatment, Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) has served as a useful treatment that may be rapidly distributed, does not require specific storage conditions and is inexpensive. However, even after achieving a substantial reduction in mortality from dehydration, ORT has little or no effect on the course of diarrhea or its associated nutritional morbidity.The role of secretory IgA, in serving as the first line of defense against many mucosal pathogens is well established. In the case of rotavirus, protection from disease appears to rely mainly on the production of neutral