AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS There is no clear evidence that probiotics are more effective than placebo at preventing infantile colic ; however , daily crying time appeared to reduce with probiotic use compared to placebo .
There were no clear differences in adverse effects .
BACKGROUND Infantile colic is typically defined as full-force crying for at least three hours per day , on at least three days per week , for at least three weeks .
Infantile colic affects a large number of infants and their families worldwide .
Its symptoms are broad and general , and while not indicative of disease , may represent a serious underlying condition in a small percentage of infants who may need a medical assessment .
Probiotics are live microorganisms that alter the microflora of the host and provide beneficial health effects .
The most common probiotics used are of Lactobacillus , Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus .
There is growing evidence to suggest that intestinal flora in colicky infants differ from those in healthy infants , and it is suggested that probiotics can redress this balance and provide a healthier intestinal microbiota l and scape .
The low cost and easy availability of probiotics makes them a potential prophylactic solution to reduce the incidence and prevalence of infantile colic .
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the efficacy and safety of prophylactic probiotics in preventing or reducing severity of infantile colic .
Fecal microflora in healthy infants born by different methods of delivery: permanent changes in intestinal flora after cesarean delivery.
BACKGROUND Newborn infants in modern maternity hospitals are subject to numerous factors that affect normal intestinal colonization -- for example , cesarean delivery and antimicrobial agents . To study the duration of the effect of external factors on intestinal colonization , two groups of infants with different delivery methods were investigated . METHODS The fecal flora of 64 healthy infants was studied prospect ively . Thirty-four infants were delivered vaginally , and 30 by cesarean birth with antibiotic prophylaxis administered to their mothers before the delivery . The fecal flora was cultured on nonselective and selective media in infants 3 to 5 , 10 , 30 , 60 , and 180 days of age . Gastrointestinal signs were recorded daily by the mothers for 2 months . RESULTS The fecal colonization of infants born by cesarean delivery was delayed . Bifidobacterium-like bacteria and Lactobacillus-like bacteria colonization rates reached the rates of vaginally delivered infants at 1 month and 10 days , respectively . Infants born by cesarean delivery were significantly less often colonized with bacteria of the Bacteroides fragilis group than were vaginally delivered infants : At 6 months the rates were 36 % and 76 % , respectively ( p=0.009 ) . The occurrence of gastrointestinal signs did not differ between the study groups . CONCLUSIONS This study shows for the first time that the primary gut flora in infants born by cesarean delivery  may be disturbed for up to 6 months after the birth . The clinical relevance of these changes is unknown , and even longer follow-up is needed to establish how long-lasting these alterations of the primary gut flora can be
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS There is no clear evidence that probiotics are more effective than placebo at preventing infantile colic ; however , daily crying time appeared to reduce with probiotic use compared to placebo .
There were no clear differences in adverse effects .
BACKGROUND Infantile colic is typically defined as full-force crying for at least three hours per day , on at least three days per week , for at least three weeks .
Infantile colic affects a large number of infants and their families worldwide .
Its symptoms are broad and general , and while not indicative of disease , may represent a serious underlying condition in a small percentage of infants who may need a medical assessment .
Probiotics are live microorganisms that alter the microflora of the host and provide beneficial health effects .
The most common probiotics used are of Lactobacillus , Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus .
There is growing evidence to suggest that intestinal flora in colicky infants differ from those in healthy infants , and it is suggested that probiotics can redress this balance and provide a healthier intestinal microbiota l and scape .
The low cost and easy availability of probiotics makes them a potential prophylactic solution to reduce the incidence and prevalence of infantile colic .
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the efficacy and safety of prophylactic probiotics in preventing or reducing severity of infantile colic .