Only Lactobacillus GG showed a consistent effect .
There is evidence of a clinical ly significant benefit of probiotics in the treatment of  acute infectious diarrhea in infants and children , particularly in rotaviral gastroenteritis .
Lactobacillus GG showed the most consistent effect , although other probiotic strains may also be effective .
Clinical and statistical heterogeneity of the prophylactic interventions preclude drawing firm conclusions about the efficacy of probiotics in preventing acute gastroenteritis
BACKGROUND This review was design ed to assess the evidence from r and omized controlled trials on effects of probiotics in the treatment and prevention of acute infectious diarrhea in infants and children .
Bacteriotherapy with Lactobacillus reuteri in rotavirus gastroenteritis.
BACKGROUND Certain lactic acid bacteria may accelerate recovery from acute diarrhea .  Lactobacillus reuteri is a commonly occurring Lactobacillus species with therapeutic potential in diarrhea . DESIGN Prospect i ve , r and omized , placebo-controlled trial in two hospitals . METHODS Children between 6 and 36 months of age admitted for rotavirus-associated diarrhea were r and omized into three groups to receive either 10(10 ) or 10(7 ) colony-forming units ( cfu ) of L. reuteri or a matching placebo once a day for up to 5 days . RESULTS The main effect of L. reuteri was on the duration of watery diarrhea . The mean ( + /-SD ) duration of watery diarrhea after initiation of treatment was 2.5 ( 1.5 ) days in the placebo group ( n = 25 ) vs. 1.9 ( 0.9 ) days in the small dosage ( n = 20 ) and 1.5 ( 1.1 ) days in the large dosage ( n = 21 ) L. reuteri recipients ( P = 0.01 ) . By the second day of treatment watery diarrhea persisted in 80 % of the placebo , 70 % of the small dosage and 48 % of the large dosage L. reuteri recipients ( P = 0.04 , large dosage vs. placebo ) . Stool cultures for lactobacilli confirmed that administration of L. reuteri result ed in good colonization of the GI tract . The mean ( + /-SD ) of total Lactobacillus count 2 days after treatment initiation was 2.8 ( 1.6 ) log 10 cfu/g in the placebo group , 4.5 ( 2.0 ) log 10 cfu/g in the small dosage L. reuteri group and 6.1 ( 1.2 ) log 10 cfu/g in the large dosage L. reuteri group ( P = 0.0004 ) . CONCLUSIONS L. reuteri effectively colonized the gastrointestinal tract after administration and significantly shortened the duration of watery diarrhea associated with rotavirus . There was a correlation between the dosage of L. reuteri and the clinical effect
Only Lactobacillus GG showed a consistent effect .
There is evidence of a clinical ly significant benefit of probiotics in the treatment of  acute infectious diarrhea in infants and children , particularly in rotaviral gastroenteritis .
Lactobacillus GG showed the most consistent effect , although other probiotic strains may also be effective .
Clinical and statistical heterogeneity of the prophylactic interventions preclude drawing firm conclusions about the efficacy of probiotics in preventing acute gastroenteritis
BACKGROUND This review was design ed to assess the evidence from r and omized controlled trials on effects of probiotics in the treatment and prevention of acute infectious diarrhea in infants and children .