Michael Pistiner Double - Blind Trial Probiotics in Pregnant Women to Prevent Allergic Disease : A Randomized

METHODS. The infants were divided into groups of colonized infants of allergic mothers (56), control infants of allergic mothers (57), and control infants of healthy mothers (45). Infants of allergic mothers were randomly assigned to 1 of the first 2 groups. Incidence rates of bacterial pathogens in stool and levels of anti–E coli immunoglobulins and serum cytokines were determined, and secretory immunoglobulin A was monitored in stool filtrates and maternal milk. Clinical evaluation of infants aged 4 days, 3 and 6 months, and 1, 2, 3, and 5 years were carried out, and clinical symptoms of allergy were monitored. One milliliter of the probiotic E coli strain (0.8 109 lyophilized E coli, serotype O83:K24: H31) was administered orally to infants of allergic mothers within 48 hours after birth and subsequently 3 times per week over a period of 4 weeks. Control infants of allergic and healthy mothers were monitored in these intervals as well.